For more than 50 years it has been understood in the petroleum refining industry that certain crude oils, or more accurately crude oil fractions, contain sulfur species and levels of organic acids that maybe very corrosive to equipment and piping in crude distillation and downstream units. Despite the longevity of the problem, there is still much to be learned about the nature of crude oil corrosion and the factors that influence it’s severity and consequently it’s predictability. This paper consists of an overview of a unique approach that has been developed to predict crude oil corrosivity from a fundamental understanding of the crude oil history. This approach is a key element in a comprehensive strategy that is being used to assist refineries evaluate and then minimize the risks to reliability resulting from the processing of a more
corrosive crude diet. Keywords: Crude oil characterization, naphthenic acids, sulfir species, natural inhibition, opportunity crudes, processing
strategy, risk mitigation