During recent years, in the exploration for new oil and gas sources, the tendency towards developing
offshore fields in more stringent environments has increased. Operators are now developing deep
water, high pressure, high temperature, and high CO2 fields. This tendency has created numerous
challenges to the project initial cost (CAPEX) and subsequent operational cost (OPEX). The material
selection is critical for such fields showing high CO2 content. Although the initial capital cost for using
carbon steel may be much lower than that of a corrosion resistant alloy (CRA), the total cost of the
carbon steel option could be much higher due to the required corrosion inhibition programs as well as
the potential for equipment failures representing losses from not only the cost of repairs, but also the
loss of production.
This paper addresses the material selection assessment for topside process equipment for production
fluids with high CO2 content. A project specific case study is analyzed in terms of: 1) fluid/CO2
partitioning through the topsides production systems, 2) corrosion analysis involving multiphase (oil,
gas, and produced water) and single phase streams, and 3) the material selection for associated piping
and equipment.