Building infrastructure for the production, transportation, and storage of hazardous materials is
sometimes a risky venture because of environmental variables that conspire against the materials used
to construct such infrastructure. Materials are selected early in the development stage, and decisions
must be made to sacrifice capital costs for operational costs or vice versa. For example, an upstream
producer may weigh the costs of using carbon steel with an inhibitor versus nickel-plated steel to
determine the short- and long-term risks of either decision. Whether the enterprise is to build an
offshore oil rig or contain and transport hazardous materials, the corrosion rate is a critical parameter in
assessing risk. By assessing the corrosion rate and mechanisms of corrosion, prediction of the lifetime
and financial performance of the system is possible. Corrosion is an event that corresponds to a
consequence which will have varying degrees of severity, and assigning values to these consequences
describes an overall risk picture of the endeavor. Therefore, corrosion rates can be directly correlated
to lifetime or financial consequences of materials selection and corrosion inhibition. This paper
examines case studies where laboratory and field data are used as inputs to refine a risk model.
The methodology to create the risk picture and assign value to the consequence of corrosion in these
systems is explained.
Key Words: Risk assessment, materials selection, integrity, offshore, oil, gas, nuclear waste