Understanding the Impact of Corrosion on the Oil and Gas Industry

Corrosion remains a formidable challenge for the oil and gas industry, posing significant economic, environmental, and safety concerns. In this technical blog, we delve into the multifaceted impact of corrosion on the oil and gas sector, exploring its causes, consequences, and mitigation strategies.

What is Corrosion?

Corrosion is a naturally occurring phenomenon that is commonly defined as the deterioration of a material, typically a metal, due to a chemical or electrochemical reaction with its surrounding environment. Factors such as moisture, oxygen, and contaminants accelerate this process, causing structural degradation and eventual failure of components.

Corrosion, like other natural hazards, has the potential to result in costly and hazardous damage. This damage can affect a wide range of items not simply within the oil and gas industry but on pipelines, bridges and infrastructure systems, water and wastewater plants, chemical facilities, refineries and much more.

The Scope of Corrosion in Oil and Gas Operations

Corrosion is a prevalent issue that impacts a wide range of materials and structures, leading to a decrease in their longevity and potentially posing significant safety risks. To address this problem, scientists and engineers have devised a range of corrosion-resistant materials specifically engineered to endure the detrimental impacts of different corrosive substances. Corrosion manifests throughout various stages of oil and gas production, transportation, and refining, affecting critical infrastructure such as pipelines, storage tanks, vessels, and offshore platforms. Factors contributing to corrosion in this industry include:

• Harsh Environments: Oil and gas facilities are often situated in harsh environments, including offshore platforms exposed to saltwater, pipelines traversing corrosive soils, and refinery equipment subjected to high temperatures and corrosive chemicals.
• Chemical Complexity: Crude oil and natural gas contain corrosive elements, such as hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and carbon dioxide (CO2), which can accelerate corrosion processes when in contact with metal surfaces.
• Operational Challenges: Factors such as fluid velocity, temperature fluctuations, and the presence of contaminants exacerbate corrosion rates, leading to premature equipment failure and costly downtime.

Consequences of Corrosion in the Oil and Gas Industry

• Safety Risks: Corrosion-related failures can compromise the integrity of equipment, leading to leaks, spills, and potentially catastrophic accidents. In offshore environments, corrosion-induced structural degradation poses risks to personnel safety and environmental conservation efforts.
• Environmental Impact: Corrosion-related incidents can result in the release of hazardous substances into the environment, polluting water bodies, soil, and air. Containment and remediation efforts incur substantial costs and regulatory scrutiny.
• Economic Losses: Corrosion-related maintenance, repair, and replacement expenses represent a significant financial burden for oil and gas operators. Downtime resulting from equipment failures disrupts production schedules, leading to revenue losses and reduced profitability.

Mitigation Strategies for Corrosion Management

• Material Selection: Employing corrosion-resistant materials, such as polymers, composites, flexible graphites, duplex alloys, and corrosion-resistant coatings, enhances the durability and longevity of equipment exposed to corrosive environments.
• Corrosion Inhibition: Chemical inhibitors, applied through injection or incorporation into process fluids, mitigate corrosion by forming protective films on metal surfaces, inhibiting electrochemical reactions, and neutralizing corrosive species.
• Cathodic Protection: Cathodic protection systems, including sacrificial anode and impressed current methods, prevent corrosion by diverting corrosion currents away from vulnerable metal structures, effectively extending their service life.
• Monitoring and Inspection: Implementing comprehensive inspection and monitoring programs, including non-destructive testing techniques and corrosion rate monitoring, enables early detection of corrosion-related issues, facilitating proactive maintenance and repair interventions.
• Asset Integrity Management: Adopting a holistic approach to asset integrity management, incorporating risk assessment, corrosion modeling, and predictive maintenance strategies, optimizes resource allocation and ensures the long-term reliability of oil and gas infrastructure.

Understanding Corrosion Resistance

Corrosion resistance refers to the natural capacity of a material to endure damage caused by corrosion, such as oxidation or other chemical reactions. Achieving resistance to corrosion can be accomplished by utilizing the inherent resistant properties of the material or by employing corrosion resistant products and substances like paints, coatings, or corrosion inhibitors. Typically, the resistance to corrosion is quantified by the corrosion rate, which is commonly measured in millimeters per year or "mils." These measurements for resistance to corrosion attack are taken in a specific environment under specific operating conditions, including pressure, temperature, and fluid velocity.

The Role of High-Performance Polymer Sealing Solutions Corrosion

High-performance polymers possess exceptional strength, endurance, and resistance to wear and tear. These polymers surpass engineering plastics in terms of meeting more stringent criteria due to their superior characteristics. They are commonly employed in challenging situations that necessitate precise specifications – perfectly suited for the high standards of oil and gas applications like API and beyond.

High-performance polymers exhibit resistance to chemical dissolution or degradation when exposed to different substances. This resistance is applicable to acids, bases, solvents, oils, and gases, enabling them utilization in many applications.

Polymer sealing solutions offer a versatile approach to mitigating corrosion by providing a protective barrier between the metal substrate and the corrosive environment. These solutions utilize various polymer materials, including elastomers, plastics, and coatings, each tailored to specific application requirements.

Types of Polymer Sealing Solutions

• Elastomeric Seals: Elastomers, such as silicone, fluorocarbon, and nitrile rubber, are commonly used for sealing applications due to their flexibility, resilience, and chemical resistance. These materials form tight seals, preventing moisture and contaminants from reaching the metal surface.
• Thermoplastic Seals: Materials like PTFE, PEEK, UHMW, PCTFE and more. Polytetrafluoroethylene, also known as PTFE, possesses a low coefficient and dielectric constant, and its inherent resistance to hydrolysis makes it an excellent option for applications involving steam or warm seawater. Polyetheretherketone, also known as PEEK, is a transparent organic thermoplastic semi-crystalline polymer that possesses exceptional mechanical and chemical resistance qualities. Its exceptional resistance to terminal deterioration renders it highly valuable in oil and gas applications.
• Polymeric Coatings: Polymer coatings, polyurethane, and acrylics are applied directly to metal surfaces to create a protective barrier. These coatings offer excellent adhesion, durability, and resistance to chemicals, UV radiation, and abrasion, effectively shielding the substrate from corrosion.
• Composite Materials: Composites are formed by combining two or more materials to attain the desirable features of each, resulting in optimal attributes for a specific application. Composite materials combine polymers with reinforcing agents, such as fibers or nanoparticles, to enhance mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. Examples include fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP) and polymer matrix composites (PMC), which find applications in structural components and infrastructure.

Conclusion

Corrosion represents a pervasive challenge for the oil and gas industry, with far-reaching implications for safety, environmental stewardship, and economic viability. By implementing robust corrosion management practices, leveraging advanced materials, technologies, and proactive maintenance strategies, oil and gas operators can mitigate the impact of corrosion, safeguarding personnel, protecting the environment, and optimizing operational performance in an increasingly demanding industry landscape.

Wrap-Up

To learn more about how CDI can help solve your upstream oil and gas corrosion challenges with proper sealing solutions, contact us today. Polymer components are trusted in a variety of upstream oil and gas applications, including blowout preventers (BOP), tubing hangers, casing hangers, chemical injection systems, subsurface safety valves, gas lift systems, artificial lift systems (ALS), compressors and separators, valve systems, liner hanger systems, logging units, slick line tools, cased- and open-hole logging tools, ROVs, and beyond.

Here is a sample of the many products manufactured using high-performance polymer products for the upstream oil and gas industry:

Solutions: https://www.cdiproducts.com/solutions/markets/upstream-oil-and-gas