The rate of carbon dioxide corrosion is conventionally recognized to be independent of the flow
velocity at ambient temperatures. However in the presence of trace levels of dissolved oxygen
(<15 ppb) it has been found that the rate of carbon dioxide corrosion can exhibit a strong flow
dependence. Corrosion rates determined using the jet impingement technique illustrate a three
fold increase in the corrosion rate in the presence of trace levels of dissolved oxygen (<15 ppb)
at a Reynolds number of 61000. It is theorized that trace levels of dissolved oxygen affect the
rate of hydration of carbon dioxide and may develop a surface which can facilitate the
hydrogen evolution reaction. The practical implication of this interference can not be
underestimated and is likely to be strongly associated with severe pitting and flow induced
localized corrosion. Trace levels of dissolved oxygen are inevitably present in oil and gas
process streams and most conventional laboratory testing of carbon dioxide corrosion.