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Picture for Diagnosis of Internal Corrosion in Pipelines Based on Mapping Adverse Operational Conditions
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Diagnosis of Internal Corrosion in Pipelines Based on Mapping Adverse Operational Conditions

Product Number: 51319-13250-SG
Author: Yuri Fairuzov, Victor Fairuzov
Publication Date: 2019
$20.00

Upstream oil and gas companies operate oil gathering systems comprising a flowline network and process facilities that transport the flow of produced fluids from the wells to a main processing plant. The frequency of corrosion related leaks has increased recently despite a corrosion inhibitor is injected at the wellhead into all flowlines. A root-cause analysis conducted by several companies revealed that severe internal corrosion was caused by a low fluid flow velocity an increasing water cut and the presence of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) in the production streams. Nevertheless it was not clear why some of the flowlines may leak while others do not leak despite the composition of produced fluids principal design parameters (diameter and length) dosage of corrosion inhibitor and environmental conditions of the flowlines are similar. A diagnostic analysis of different oil flowlines of was carried out to gain an understanding of why a first group of oil flowlines is developing leaks and why a second group of flowlines has not experienced leaks. The methodology used for the diagnostic analysis comprises 1) Ultra-High Definition simulation of 3-phase or 4-phase flow of gas oil water and solids; 2) 3D imaging of phase distributions inside critical sections of the oil flowlines as per NACE ICDA; 3) mapping adverse operational conditions; and 4) the determination of probability of failure in the critical sections based on criteria depending on the severity of operating conditions inside and outside the flowlines. It was found that multiple sections were exposed to stagnant water and/or had a fraction of internal surface area covered by a stationary bed of solids (formation solids produced from the well). The identified causes of potential leaks comprise the following failure mechanisms: a) metal loss caused by colonies of SRB b) composed load acting on the pipe wall and c) cyclic" thermal expansion/contraction of the flowlines due to seasonal ambient temperature variations. One of the surprising findings of this study was that a shorter flowline with a lower water cut may have multiple leaks while a longer flowline with a higher water may not leak at all approximately for the same period after commissioning. This result was explained with help of maps of adverse operational conditions constructed for the two groups of flowlines. Immediate corrective mitigation actions and preventive actions were implemented to reduce leak frequency including the installation of a novel automatic flushing system.

Picture for MIC Impact on Mechanical Property Degradation of X80 Pipeline Steel by A Sulfate Reducing Bacterium
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MIC Impact on Mechanical Property Degradation of X80 Pipeline Steel by A Sulfate Reducing Bacterium

Product Number: 51321-16274-SG
Author: Zhong Li/Jike Yang/Sith Kumseranee/Suchada Punpruk/Magdy E. Mohamed/Mazen A. Saleh/Tingyue Gu
Publication Date: 2021
$20.00
Picture for Microbial Corrosion Diagnosis Using Molecular Microbiology Methods: Case Studies
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Microbial Corrosion Diagnosis Using Molecular Microbiology Methods: Case Studies

Product Number: MPWT19-14427
Author: Xiangyang Zhu, Abdullah H. Wadei
Publication Date: 2019
$0.00

Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) is one of the leading causes of equipment and pipeline failure in oil and gas industries. Cost-effective MIC management requires routine monitoring of microbial activities, periodic assessment of microbial risks in various operational systems, and accurate diagnosis of MIC failure. Traditionally, MIC diagnosis has been dependent on cultivation-based methods by inoculating liquid samples containing live bacteria into selective growth media, followed by incubation at a certain temperature for a pre-determined period of time. The conventional culturing techniques have been reported to severely underestimate the size of the microbial populations related to metal corrosion, among many inherited weaknesses of these techniques. As a result, accurate diagnosis of MIC failure is challenging because the conventional techniques often fail to provide a critical piece of evidence required for a firm diagnosis, i.e., the presence of corrosion-causing microorganisms in the failed metal samples. In this paper, we described applications of molecular microbiology methods in diagnosing MIC in a crude oil pipeline and crude processing facility. Molecular microbial analyses have provided a solid piece of evidence to firmly diagnose the MIC in a crude oil flow line, a stagnant bypass spool, and a global valve bypass pipe. The presence of a high number of corrosion-related microorganisms in upstream pipelines poses a high risk to downstream crude processing facilities for microbial contamination and corrosion failure in these facilities. An effective MIC management program should include routine monitoring of microbial activities and risk assessment, and effective mitigation program, such as scraping and biocide treatments.