The selection of corrosion inhibition in combination with carbon steel is an economically preferable
corrosion control strategy for many oil & gas projects.
The traditional approach to evaluate the viability of corrosion inhibition combines an assessment of
corrosion inhibitor efficiency and availability. It is often assumed that an inhibited rate of 0.1mm/year
can be achieved and focus is given to the desired availability.
New projects are exploiting reservoirs with fluids of increasing complexity and more aggressive
environments. Therefore, achieving a high inhibitor efficiency is key to project delivery and integrity risk
management.
Extensive inhibitor testing data has been reviewed across a range of environmental conditions. The
influence of environmental parameters (including corrosivity, temperature, brine salinity and
hydrodynamics) on inhibitor performance has been analyzed.
The effect of the parameters and relative criticality to achieving acceptable inhibitor performance has
been defined and a matrix has been developed to enable assessment of the likelihood of achieving
successful inhibition.
Test data is presented to support the analysis.