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Table of Contents
Procedures to Minimize CT Corrosion......................................................................................................3 Scope ...................................................................................................................................................3 Corrosion and Environmental Cracking of Coiled Tubing ......................................................................3 General Corrosion.............................................................................................................................3 Pitting Corrosion...............................................................................................................................4 Galvanic Corrosion ...........................................................................................................................4 Industrial Atmospheric Corrosion ......................................................................................................4 Marine Corrosion..............................................................................................................................4 Filiform Corrosion ............................................................................................................................5 Corrosive fluids....................................................................................................................................5 Production fluids...............................................................................................................................5 Completion fluids..............................................................................................................................5 Acidizing fluids.................................................................................................................................5 Spent Acid ........................................................................................................................................6 Nitrogen............................................................................................................................................6 H2S Containing Environments...............................................................................................................6 Coiled Tubing Storage Guidelines ............................................................................................................8 General ................................................................................................................................................8 Covers..................................................................................................................................................8 Freeze Protection..................................................................................................................................9 Bedwrap Protection ..............................................................................................................................9 Tubing OD Protection ........................................................................................................................ 10 Tubing ID Protection .......................................................................................................................... 10 Option 1.......................................................................................................................................... 10 Option 2.......................................................................................................................................... 11 Option 3.......................................................................................................................................... 11 Pre-Job Guidelines ................................................................................................................................. 12 Post-Job Guidelines................................................................................................................................ 13 Tubing OD......................................................................................................................................... 13 Tubing ID .......................................................................................................................................... 13 Acid................................................................................................................................................ 13
Option 1 ............................................................................................................................................... 13 Option 2 ............................................................................................................................................... 13 Option 3MB TechServ 6 ........................................................................................................................ 14
Halliburton
1998, Halliburton Company
H2S................................................................................................................................................. 15 Maintenance Recommendations - Special Cases...................................................................................... 15 Case 1 ................................................................................................................................................ 15 Case 2 ................................................................................................................................................ 15 Case 3 ................................................................................................................................................ 15 References: ............................................................................................................................................ 18
Halliburton
1998, Halliburton Company
General Corrosion
The result of general corrosion is uniform wall thinning of the coiled tubing. General corrosion is not a common mechanism but may occur when galvanic corrosion (see below) is operative downhole. 3 Best Practices Series
Halliburton
1998, Halliburton Company
Pitting Corrosion
Pitting can represent a more severe form of corrosion than uniform metal loss. This is due to extensive localized loss of wall thickness which compromises the integrity of the entire string. Low pH (acidic) and higher temperature environments tend to initiate pitting corrosion. Pitting corrosion also occurs in aerated brines under atmospheric conditions. This type of corrosion is a common form of coiled tubing damage and is particularly insidious because pitting creates stress concentration when the tubing is being worked, promoting development of fatigue cracking that could quickly lead to a pinhole leak or, worse, complete tubular failure. Since pitting is difficult to detect, effective inhibition and care of coiled tubing is essential.
Galvanic Corrosion
Galvanic corrosion is not usually a problem when coiled tubing is used in wells containing low alloy steel components. However, in corrosive wells, downhole tubulars may be made of duplex stainless steels, nickel based superalloys or titanium alloys. In contact with an electrolytic fluid, the coiled tubing will become the anode and accelerated corrosion (wall thinning) of the coiled tubing may occur. The effects of general corrosion may be minimized by using chemical inhibition, limiting the exposure time or using thicker wall coiled tubing
Marine Corrosion
Corrosion of coiled tubing occurs through contact with marine salts, primarily sodium chloride but also potassium, magnesium, calcium and sulfate ions. Chloride salts are hygroscopic and the chloride ion promotes pitting in coiled tubing steels. Once pitting is established, penetration can occur at accelerated rates. It has been found that steel will corrode 12 times faster when located 80 ft from the coastline than when it is located 800 ft from the coastline, due to the level of marine salts present at the two locations. However, sea salt can be found a great distances from the sea (often as much as 100 miles inland) and can come down both as dry dust and in rainfall. Time-of-wetness is a critical variable in determining the level of corrosion and salt tends to increase time-of-wetness by absorbing water at lower humidities.
Halliburton
1998, Halliburton Company
Filiform Corrosion
Filiform corrosion is localized corrosion in the form of randomly distributed filaments or streaks of sharp and long, narrow pits. It can be caused by condensing water solutions containing carbon dioxide, chlorides, sulfates or sulfides. Warm temperatures usually worsen the situation. Elimination of aqueous fluids from the tubing ID will eliminate filiform corrosion.
Corrosive fluids
Production fluids
Production fluids can be corrosive to coiled tubing if they contain the acid gases H2S and/or CO2. These gases lower pH of the aqueous phase. Also, production water containing brines increase the overall corrosivity of the production fluids. H2S in brine with or without CO2 is more corrosive than H2S in oil. Risk of corrosion or cracking in dry gas wells containing H2S is low. An expert software (CLI Internationals Predict, a program for evaluation and determination of corrosion in steels) is available for use in predicting the extent of corrosion losses from exposure to reservoir fluids (contact Terry McCoy, memoid ENGZ101).
Completion fluids
Brines used in workovers and completions increase in corrosivity as temperature increases and as the specific gravity of the brine increases. Aerated brines are also more corrosive than deaerated brines.
Acidizing fluids
Acid corrosion inhibitor systems are designed to protect coiled tubing from pitting and unacceptable wall thickness loss under downhole conditions. However, corrosion inhibitors do not impede the ability of the acid to dissolve rust. When the acidized tubing is exposed air (oxygen) back on the surface, then the freshly cleaned surface now has a significantly increased susceptibility to atmospheric corrosion (rusting), particularly in marine environments. Research has shown that alternate exposure of coiled tubing to inhibited acid, then air, then inhibited acid, etc. can cause corrosion rates to increase by up to 5 to 7 times the corrosion rate if exposed only to inhibited acid.
Halliburton
1998, Halliburton Company
Spent Acid
Because of the depletion and/or dilution of acid inhibitors, spent acid can be more corrosive than properly inhibited live acid. Flowback acid from sandstone reservoirs may not be totally spent. Most of the corrosion inhibitor may be lost to the tubing or formation leaving highly corrosive acid. Also, corrosion inhibitors are blends of components, some of which will adsorb in the formation more easily than others. The result is that the inhibitor composition in flowback fluids may not be the same as that originally pumped and its effectiveness may be compromised. In addition, if the well is underbalanced during acidizing operations, inflow of reservoir fluids is possible. Formation brine may dilute both the acid and the inhibitor concentration. For example, properly inhibited 15% HCl is not as corrosive as 5% HCl with 1/3 the original inhibitor concentration, under most conditions. Also, the produced reservoir fluid and/or gases (such as H2S) may themselves be quite corrosive and reduce the effectiveness of normal acid corrosion inhibitors.
Nitrogen
Nitrogen generating units (excluding cryogenic nitrogen) can also generate oxygen which will increase corrosion downhole. Membrane generated nitrogen typically contains 2% to 6% oxygen at typical pumping rates. Presence of dissolved oxygen in water is a major factor influencing corrosion rates on coiled tubing. Even at a temperature of 75F, water equilibrated with air will contain 7 to 8 ppm oxygen and corrosion rates up to 600 mils per year have been measured under turbulent conditions. The effects of oxygen on corrosion is magnified by highly erosive environments.
Halliburton
1998, Halliburton Company
When H2S is present in the reservoir, then some judgment must be exercised. For instance, the use of new (or relatively new) tubing may be in order. Also, chemical inhibition may be required where underbalanced conditions may exist and inflow of H2S is possible. As an example, in Canada, one locations general practice is to use an inhibitor whenever H2S concentration is 10% or more and contact time is over 8 hours. It may also be advisable to use an inhibitor for lower concentrations of H2S, especially if extended time downhole is a possibility. In these cases, various inhibitors would be used depending on the type of fluid being pumped. The inhibitor, in the concentrations listed below, would be circulated from the start of the job to protect tubing OD.
SCA-130 Anhib II
Note: Also see Chemical Stimulation Manual or HalWeb. Most commonly used range for SCA-130 is 1 % to 2%.
In cases where only nitrogen was being pumped, the inhibitor would be periodically injected into the reel at rates of 1 to 4 liters/hour. Crack Chek-97 is an inhibitor that is particularly effective for preventing corrosion and sulfide stress cracking of high strength carbon steel in sour brine waters. Note: Never use Crack Chek-97 in acid solutions. SCA-130 was developed for use in acid solutions.
Halliburton
1998, Halliburton Company
Covers
Use of weather resistant covers may be helpful in minimizing amount of water and contaminants (such as chlorides from salt spray at sea or in some coastal areas) that the coiled tubing is exposed to and in preventing previously applied inhibitors from being washed off. Unfortunately, covers can also be detrimental to the tubing since they act to trap moisture (condensation) and not let the tubing breathe, even if the bottom of the cover is open. Covers are not the answer to external coiled tubing corrosion problems but may be useful in some limited situations.
Halliburton
1998, Halliburton Company
Freeze Protection
Although the tubing should be free of water during storage, there is always the possibility of unintended residual moisture in the tubing string. If the tubing is to be stored at a location where temperature is expected to drop below the freezing point, then it may be advisable to pump an antifreeze (ethylene glycol) mixture through the string. Commerciallly available antifreeze has the added advantage of containing corrosion inhibitors. Expected Lowest Temperature (F) -10 -20 -30 -40 -50 Recommended Concentration in water 40% 44% 48% 52% 56%
Bedwrap Protection
Initial external protection of the bedwrap tubing is recommended when CT is used in warm, humid coastal areas. The following inhibitors are recommended, in order of expected performance. Other inhibitors may be satisfactory. Note: No Halliburton part numbers have been assigned to these products but may in the future if usage warrants. Approximate Inhibitor PermaStopRusts Isotrol/Isoguard 1 (Best) Cortecs VCI-386 2 Nalco/Exxons CT-Armor 3 (neat) Exxons Rust Ban 343 4 Relative Cost 33 6 2 1
On storage or shipping reels, the inhibitor could be applied when the tubing is spooled onto the working reel. Quality Tubing expects that Rust Ban 343 is a suitable inhibitor to protect coiled tubing during shipments to North America locations with expectations that tubing would not be stored over 30 days. VCI-386 is thought to be suitable for export shipments. No significant loss in injector force capabilities is expected when using the above inhibitors, however, it should be cautioned that no field trials have been conducted at this time on the Isotrol/Isoguard or VCI-381. Rust Ban 343 has a proven field record for internal storage conditions. To date, only lab tests have been run on the other inhibitors.
Halliburton
1998, Halliburton Company
Tubing OD Protection
When required (also see paragraph 6), apply a corrosion inhibitor to the tubing OD after each job. Inhibitor should be applied to the tubing by wiping to ensure complete coverage of the tubing. (Note: a wiping mechanism is currently being developed). Recommended corrosion inhibitors are shown below, in order of expected performance. Other inhibitors may be satisfactory. The tubing should be as clean as possible for maximum effectiveness of the inhibitor. Note: No Halliburton part numbers have been assigned to these products but may in the future if usage warrants. Approximate Inhibitor Cortecs VCI 386 (Best) Nalco/Exxons CT-Armor (neat) Oil Research Centers Wireline Spray 782 5 Exxons Rust Ban 343 Relative Cost 6 2 1.5 1
Note: Wireline Spray 782 is the only environmentally friendly, completely biodegradable corrosion inhibitor listed above. Corrosion testing seemed to indicate that the inhibitor would perform well for a few weeks then performance would decrease at a more rapid rate with time. Note: Nalco/Exxons CT-Armor is most effective in neat (concentrated) form. It can be used diluted (10% in water) but when applied, the inhibitor must be continually mixed to insure proper inhibitor coverage. CT-Armor is water dispersible but not water soluble.
Tubing ID Protection
(also see notes below).
Option 1
Use dry nitrogen to displace specific volume of 10% CT-Armor (1 part CT-Armor and 9 parts fresh water) through the tubing to achieve a 3 mil coating thickness. Inhibitor should be pumped behind wiper ball(s) if another fluid is being displaced (see note 1). The solution must be continually mixed as the fluid is pumped into the tubing as CT-Armor is water dispersible but not water soluble. See Table 1 for recommended volume of inhibitor needed to coat tubing ID. Seal ends of tubing to prevent loss of inhibitor or air ingression (see note 2).
Halliburton
1998, Halliburton Company
10
Option 2
Pump fresh water that has been adjusted to a pH 8 to 9 using sodium bicarbonate and that is also treated with 0.2% Anhib II (HES part number 516.00854). Displacing volume should be a minimum of 2 times tubing volume. If chlorides are to be removed, then displacing volume should be 5 times tubing volume. Proper mixing is required to insure that Anhib II is well dispersed in the fluid. Purge with nitrogen until dry and seal ends (see notes 2 and 3).
Option 3
Fill tubing with diesel fuel. A good grade of diesel fuel (such as No. 2 automotive diesel) should be used to avoid possibility of water contamination. If residual water is in the tubing prior to filling with diesel, it may get mixed in with the diesel (causing a cloudy appearance) and will separate out in the tubing causing corrosion to occur. If diesel fuel is used, it is recommended that at least one (1) quart of API 30 wt. motor oil be used per 100 gallons of diesel. The oil has alkalinity as well as corrosion inhibitors that will help protect the coiled tubing. Note 1: Wiper Balls - whenever displacing tubing containing fluid(s), a tight polyurethane wiper ball or dart or should precede the pumped fluid. The wiper ball aids in the effectiveness of its chaser by (1) separating the different fluids preventing intermixing and (2) wipes the tubing walls from the preceding fluid. If gas is being used to push a fluid through the coiled tubing, use at least 2 wiper balls. The following guidelines can be used in choosing the proper size of wiper ball. Tubing OD 1.00 1.25 1.50 1.75 2.00 2.375 2.875 3.50 Wiper Ball Diameter 1-1/4 1-1/2 2 (for thick wall, use 1-3/4) 2-1/4 2-1/2 2-3/4 3-1/4 3-7/8
Wiper balls can be purchased from Laser Plastics, 903 Hodgkins, Suite #103, Houston, TX. 77032 (Tel: 281-590-0566; Fax: 281-590-8174). If standard wiper balls are not available, a tightly made wad of foam rubber (seat cushion type of material) may be used.
Halliburton
1998, Halliburton Company
11
Note 2: Sealing Ends of Pipe - When using nitrogen in tubing to prevent corrosion, the ends of the tubing must be sealed such that a slight positive pressure (say, 5 to 10 psig) is maintained to prevent air ingression. For information purposes, Quality Tubings present procedure is to place a Drilltec thread protector on the male half of 1502 fittings on all nitrogen purged strings. On the free end, a plastic or metal cap is placed on the tubing and taped. Quality Tubing also offers a system to install a ball valve on each end of tubing with a pressure gage to monitor internal pressure. This systems requires fittings on both ends of tubing. Note 3 - Purging Water from Coiled Tubing with Nitrogen - Displacement of fluids such as water from a coil tubing reel after a job is critical to the life of the pipe and the safe operation of the unit. In general displacement with nitrogen to remove water takes two steps. The first is to remove the free water. This is accomplished by pumping nitrogen at a high rate to mobilize and remove all free water. Use of wiper balls to remove the water is recommended (see note 1). The second step is to dry the film of fluid that remains. Drying works best at low pressure. This means pumping as slow as possible to keep the friction pressure down. Volume of nitrogen required is a function of tubing volume. Each barrel of tubing volume requires 1000 scf of nitrogen to displace and dry the pipe. An example would be displacing a reel that has 10 bbls of fluid. Volume of nitrogen required would be 10 x 1000 = 10,000 scf. Initial rate would be 400 to 1000 scf/min. When nitrogen breaks through, decrease the rate to 100 to 400 scf/min. Larger size tubing will require the higher range of rates while smaller tubing will require the lower rate. See Best Practices Series Purging Fluids from Coiled Tubing for other information.
Pre-Job Guidelines
If unsure of the condition of the tubing ID, flush coil tubing with fresh water. If the water in the exit stream is clear, then the coiled tubing ID probably has been sufficiently protected during previous storage and no further fluid maintenance work is required. If significant rust is present in the initial portion of the exit stream then the condition of the tubing ID should be questioned. If necessary, the ID can be pickling with 5 % HCl + 0.1 % HAI-81M + 2 % Ferchek.
Halliburton
1998, Halliburton Company
12
Post-Job Guidelines
Tubing OD
- refer to Tubing OD Protection
Tubing ID
Acid
After acid jobs, the tubing should be treated as per one of the options listed below. Research indicates that coiled tubing does not undergo excessive corrosion when exposed to properly inhibited acid being pumped at treatment velocities. However, laboratory tests on tubing exposed to inhibited acid and air indicate that oxygen is a secondary corrosive agent and can cause corrosion rates to increase 5 to 7 times that in acid alone. Aeration occurs between jobs so it is important that the tubing be cleaned and protected with a corrosion inhibitor as soon as possible after an acid job. Option 1 1. Flush with fresh water (or seawater when necessary). Continue flush until pH of exit stream is approximately 7. 2. Displace with water adjusted to pH 8 to 9 using 1% K-34 (sodium bicarbonate, HES part number 70.15186) and 0.20% Anhib II (HES part number 516.00854). 3. Purge with nitrogen (see note 3, paragraph 3.6) until tubing is dry, then seal ends. Option 2 1. Neutralize/flush acid remaining in tubing using 1% K-34 (sodium bicarbonate, HES part number 70.15186). 2. Flush with fresh water. 3. Displace fresh water with 10% CT-Armor. Use dry nitrogen to push the inhibitor mixture through the tubing. See Table 1 for recommended volumes for specific tubing sizes. 4. Seal ends of tubing to prevent inhibitor loss or air ingression.
Halliburton
1998, Halliburton Company
13
Option 3MB TechServ 6 This is a specialized process used by Quality Tubings service center in Aberdeen. This process has not been utilized in other locations. For further information, contact Brian Hunt, MB TechServ at 44-1224-879696. 1. Flush - Remove debris, acid, brine, etc. by flushing coiled tubing with fresh water (onshore) or seawater (offshore) immediately after use. If available, purge with nitrogen (see note 3, paragraph 3.6) to displace excess water. 2. Clean (onshore) - Flush with fresh water to remove seawater and any corrosive contaminants. Pig with wiper ball(s) and purge with nitrogen to remove residual water. 3. Dry (onshore) - Connect MBT injection unit (see note below) with 120 psi compressed and filtered air supply to the coiled tubing. Establish constant flow of dry air through coil to remove residual moisture. Allow coil to depressurize fully to atmosphere. 4. Preserve (onshore) - Charge MBT with VCI 609 powder. Release charge to the coiled tubing until fog emission is detected. Allow coil to depressurize fully then seal ends.
Halliburton
1998, Halliburton Company
14
H2S
If the tubing contains iron sulfide scale, pickling with 5% HCl + 0.40 - 2.0% SCA-130 (concentration of SCA-130 dependent on the amount of FeS in the tubing) may be necessary to clean the tubing. Caution: This process may generate H2S gas in the tubing. After pickling, follow paragraph 5.2.1 options as needed.
Case 1
Tubing being used daily in non-corrosive service (considering both atmospheric as well as downhole and pumped fluids) probably does not need to be treated daily with corrosion inhibitors.
Case 2
Tubing stored or not expected to be used for 1 week or longer should be suitably protected on the ID and OD.
Case 3
Tubing used in acid service should be treated immediately upon job completion.
Halliburton
1998, Halliburton Company
15
Flash In X
X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Wall
.080 .087 .095 .102 .109 .080 .087 .095 .102 .109 .125 .134 .156 .095 .102 .109 .125 .134 .156 .109 .125 .134 .156 .188 .109 .125 .134 .156 .175 .188 .203 .109 .125 .134
Halliburton
1998, Halliburton Company
16
Flash In X
X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Wall
.156 .175 .188 .203 .125 .134 .156 .175 .188 .203 .156 .175 .188 .203
Halliburton
1998, Halliburton Company
17
References:
1
PermaStopRust (America), Inc. 2911 Dixwell Avenue Hamden, CT 06518 Tel: (800) 611-7713 (203) 287-3700 Fax: (203) 407-3840
Exxon Company USA P.O. Box 2180 Houston, TX 77252-2180 Tel: (713) 656-5949
Cortec Corporation 4119 White Bear Parkway, St. Paul, MN 55110 Phone: (800) 4-CORTEC (612) 429-1100 Fax: (612) 429-1122
Oil Research Center 626 W. Pont Des Mouton Road Lafayette, LA 70507-4002
Nalco-Exxon Energy Chemicals, L.P. 7705 Hwy 90A Sugar Land, TX 77478 P.O. Box 87 Sugar Land, TX 77487-0087 Phone: (713) 263-7836
MB TechServ Corrosion Technology Services, Ltd. 38 Abbotswell Road Aberdeen, AB12 3AB Tel: (01224) 879 696 Fax: (01224) 899 180
Halliburton
1998, Halliburton Company
18