Corrosion Monitoring

in the Oil & Gas Industry

Dr Gareth Hinds
National Physical Laboratory

CED Working Day, Warrington, 29th April 2010

Acknowledgements

Alan Crossland
Don Harrop
John Martin
Simon Webster
Richard Woollam

BP IRF Flagship

Talk structure

Background

Choice of monitoring location

Review of current techniques

Future trends

Background

Oil and gas infrastructure is ageing

Increasingly aggressive fields (high T, high P, H2S, sand)

Repairs and replacements are costly

Negative publicity from environmental damage

BP perspective
h
h
h

Corrosion accounts for ~10% of lifting costs per barrel

60,000 km of pipeline (50% are unpiggable)
Localised corrosion is greatest threat to integrity

Corrosion Management
Integrity
NDE Technicians
Repair/Replace
Engineering

Inspection
(Remaining wall)
Corr Mitigation
and Control

Corr Mechanism
and Rate

Life
Management

Raw Chemical

Risk

Crew
Chemicals

Transportation
Deployment

Corrosion Monit

Processing

Prod Chemistry
Corrosion
Engineering
Chemical Crew
Warehouse
Inventory

Coupons/probes

Why Monitoring?

h
h
h

Improved safety
Reduced environmental impact
Lower operating costs
Reduces maintenance/inspection costs
h Minimises unscheduled shutdowns
h

Optimised process efficiency

Inhibitor injection rates
h Oxygen concentrations
h Flow rates
h

Assessment of effect of operational changes/upsets

Economics

h
h

Purpose of corrosion monitoring is to optimise balance

between corrosion control and replacement costs
Each monitoring technique has inherent random error
minimised by increasing number of techniques /
monitoring points (with associated cost)
Benefit of additional corrosion monitoring should
outweigh incremental cost incurred

Economics
Example from inhibitor monitoring

Cost of Monitoring Programme

Value

Benefit/Cost of Monitoring

0.5

1.5

2.5

Log (number of locations)

3.5

Monitoring Location

h
h
h
h
h

Inappropriate selection of location or technique is worse

than no selection
Quality of data is often never questioned
Physical access important but should not dictate
monitoring location
Specification of monitoring locations should be intrinsic
part of design stage (not afterthought)
Review of historical experience should influence
selection

Monitoring Location

Location of corrosive phase

h
h

Corrosion mechanism
h
h

General vs localised
Process upset detection

Effect of flow
h
h
h

Top of line: water condensation

Bottom of line: water drop out

Target areas with enhanced water drop out and water hold-up
Sited away from turbulence, e.g. bends, reducers, valves
Elevation changes often affect corrosivity

Process stream changes

h
h

Third party entrants

Chemical injection points

Monitoring Location

Monitoring at riser
where slug flow
may cause erosion
corrosion

Access Fittings

h
h
h

Access fittings exist for low and high

pressure systems
On-line retrieval at up to 400 bar
(6000 psi) possible
Safe use is very important

High Pressure
Retrievable Fitting

On-line retrieval tool

Access fittings

h
h
h
h
h
h

Orientation important for multiphase systems

Retrofitting can be costly
Bottom of line fittings can be
fouled by debris
Galling of threads an issue
Material compatibility
Water traps may be used but often
act as corrosion initiation sites

Types of Measurement

Two basic types of measurement which

provide necessary information are:
h

Inspection Data
h

which are related to changes in wall thickness or

structural change (wastage, cracks and pits), i.e. nondestructive evaluation and inspection

Monitoring Data
h

where measurements from insert probes and chemical

analysis of process streams are used to monitor
changes in the corrosivity of the process environment

Monitoring Techniques

Main In-Line Monitoring Techniques

h
h
h
h
h

Mass Loss Coupons

Electrical Resistance (ER)
Linear Polarisation Resistance (LPR)
Zero Resistance Ammetry (ZRA)
Process Stream Monitoring

Other Techniques
Ultrasonic Thickness Measurement
h Electrochemical Noise (ECN)
h Hydrogen Permeation
h Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS)
h

Monitoring Devices

Mass Loss Coupons

Coupons

Probes

Mass Loss Coupons

Strip

Disc (flush-mounted)

h
h
h
h

Simplest form of corrosion monitoring, can be used in any environment

Mass loss measured over a period of several weeks/months (NACE RP0775-99)
Gives a visual indication of corrosion type as well as rate
Can provide pitting rate data

Mass Loss Coupons

Coupons made from pipe material where possible

Mass Loss Coupons

w

Strip Coupon
Dimensions
l =75
3" mm
l
w w=
12.5
0.5"oror251"mm
t
= 1.5 or 3 mm
t 0.0625" or 0.125"

Strip coupo n

Flush-mounted disc

Rod Co upon

3.65 10 m
CR =
A d T
5

(assumes general attack)

CR
m
A
d
T

=
=
=
=
=

corrosion rate (mm/yr)

mass loss (g)
coupon surface area (mm2)
metal density (g/cm3)
exposure time (days)

Electrical Resistance
(ER)

The change in the electrical resistance of an element (wire, tube or

strip) is measured using Wheatstone Bridge arrangement
h This is then related to the change in cross-sectional area and hence
provides indication of metal loss
h Will not work if corrosion is localised and gives poor performance in
thermally noisy systems
h Trade-off between sensitivity and probe lifetime
h

ER Monitoring Options

ER Probe and Portable

Instrumentation
h On-line (permanent) instrumentation
/ data logger
h

Electrical Resistance

Direct measurement of material loss

h Can be used in any environment (conducting and non-conducting)
and does not require continuous aqueous phase
h Different types of probe elements available to cover different
requirements, i.e.
h

h
h
h

Show time evolution of corrosion rate

h
h

High sensitivity
Long life
Flush or protruding shapes
Intermittent (single readings taken daily/weekly/monthly)
Continuous (readings taken at regular intervals, typically hourly)

Can be used to monitor erosion (e.g. by sand) as well as corrosion

High Sensitivity ER
h
h

New generation of high sensitivity ER systems now

available
These provide combination of longer probe life,
increased sensitivity and better temperature
compensation
Systems include:
Cormon
h Rohrbach-Cosasco
h CorrOcean
h

CEION
MicroCor
HSER

These systems combine special probes with new

instrumentation and hence are NOT interchangeable
with previous ER applications

Field Signature Method

(FSM)
h
h
h
h
h

Non-intrusive variation on ER
method
Pipe wall is used as active
electrode area
Electric current fed through
two contact pins
Voltage drop proportional to
wall thickness
Sensitivity ~ 1/1000 of
original wall thickness

Linear Polarisation
Resistance (LPR)

h
h
h
h

Probes can be either protruding or flush mounted

Probes can be 2- or 3- element
A small dc current is passed between electrodes to
polarise them approx 10-20 mV
V-I slope is directly proportional to the corrosion rate

Linear Polarisation
Resistance
h

The current - potential

relationship is linear close
to the corrosion potential
Polarisation Resistance
(Rp) :
U
Rp =
J
Corrosion rate is inversely
proportional to Rp

20

[mV]

J [mA/cm2]
J

-20

-20

20

Linear Polarisation
Resistance
h

Advantages
Gives instantaneous corrosion rate
h Sensitive to any process changes or upsets
h

Disadvantages
h
h
h
h
h

General corrosion rates indicative of trend rather than absolute

Can only be used in conductive media, need continuous
aqueous phase
Results need to be corrected for IR drop in low conductivity
solution
If electrodes become fouled can give erroneous results
Generally gives little information on localised corrosion

Typical LPR Output

mpy

LPR Corrosion Rate

5.0
4.5
4.0
3.5
3.0
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
Oct 1

Thu 8

Thu 15

Thu 22

Zero Resistance Ammetry

(ZRA)
h

h
h

Measures galvanic current

flowing between two
dissimilar metal electrodes
(typically copper & steel)
Current is proportional to the
oxygen content of the water
As sensitive as an oxygen
probe but more robust

Process Stream
Monitoring

h
h
h
h
h

Demonstrates that process control activities are

functioning correctly
May be used to predict corrosion rates
Helps with troubleshooting when corrosion is detected
Online monitoring reduces manpower costs
Database management is critical

Process Stream
Monitoring
h

Iron Counts
Measures dissolved iron (Fe2+) in solution
h Based on knowledge of contact surface area and contact time
can give indication of corrosion rate
h Precipitation/complexation of iron will affect results
h

Chemical Analysis
pH (for control of glycol corrosivity)
h O2 content (efficacy of de-aeration system for water injection)
h Chlorine residuals (efficacy of chlorination system for water injection)
h Inhibitor residuals (confirms presence / effectiveness of inhibitor)
h

Bacterial Enumeration
h

Sample tested to determine presence and extent of bacterial

contamination

Inhibitor Concentration
Corrosion Rate
Mean Corrosion Rate

Inhibit conc / Corr rate

Inhibitor Monitoring

Time

Corrosion monitoring can be used to determine the extent of inhibitor

residuals in a line after a batch treatment
h With increase in inhibitor concentration, corrosion rate will drop
h As inhibitor concentration decreases with time, corrosion rate increases
h Need to measure corrosion rate regularly to see effects over a period of
days/weeks
h

Ultrasonic Thickness
Measurement
h
h
h
h

Wall thickness measurement using reflected ultrasonic

wave
One of the most important non-destructive test methods
Sensitivity typically ~ 1/200 of original wall thickness
Automatic/manual scanning
h

Probe is scanned over area of interest to produce map

Flexible Ultrasonic Transducer Mat

Designed for permanent installation
h Mounted on printed circuit board
h Can be installed in areas of restricted access or under lagging
h

Other techniques

Impedance spectroscopy
h

Limited applicability other than measurement of solution

resistance

Electrochemical noise (ECN)

Data interpretation difficult
h Currently seen as a useful supplement to other methods
h

Hydrogen permeation
Monitors flux of hydrogen through defined area of pipe
h Both pressure-based and electrochemical sensors available
h May be inserted in access fitting or simply a patch on exterior of
pipe
h

Response Time

Minimum Response Time for Different Monitoring Techniques

1000

Mass loss coupons

LPR

Corrosion Rate [mpy]

100

10

0.1

corrosion rate [mm/yr]

10

0.01
0.1
0.1

10

100

1000

Time [hrs]

10000

CEION F10

microCOR

CEION F40

CeionF80

Traditional ER10

Traditional ER20

traditional ER40

Ceion Spool

FSM 20" 10mmWT

Fleximat20" 10 mm WT

Technique Selection

h
h

Wherever possible at least two different monitoring

systems should be used
Selection will be based on:
h

Media conductivity/water cut

h

LPR only applicable in aqueous systems (> 10-20% water cut)

Speed of response
h
h
h
h

Corrosion coupons only provide data over periods of months

ER can provide data in days / weeks if corrosion rate is rapid
LPR / HS-ER can provide data within minutes / hours if correctly
applied and interrogated on-line
In sour systems need to consider effect of conductive FeS scale on
probes

Future Trends

Techniques for monitoring localised corrosion

Pitting corrosion
h Crevice corrosion
h Underdeposit corrosion
h

Techniques for monitoring corrosion in inaccessible locations

Corrosion under insulation
h Subsea
h Unpiggable lines
h

h
h
h

Intelligent crawlers
Cleaning processes
Tethered tools

Future Trends

Improved modelling of corrosion mechanisms

h
h
h
h

CO2 corrosion, e.g. effect of films, sour environment

Localised corrosion
Erosion corrosion (sand)
Hydrogen assisted cracking

Improved data visualisation/integration processes

h
h
h
h

Remote monitoring
Database management
Analytical tools
Intelligent traffic light systems

Summary

Corrosion monitoring is important

For problem diagnosis/troubleshooting
h To assess plant condition for improved maintenance/replacement
strategies
h To demonstrate process control/adequate inhibitor dosage
h To support inspection programmes
h

Innovative monitoring techniques are still required

For localised corrosion
h In inaccessible locations
h Faster response times without compromising probe lifetime
h To facilitate data handling and visualisation
h