Bimetallic Corrosion in the Extraction and Transport of Oil and Gas

Pairings of different metals can lead to corrosion due to galvanic effects. Responsible for these galvanic effects are different electrochemical potentials. In the literature these are available for standard conditions at 20 °C (electrochemical voltage series) and partly for sea water at 25 °C under air saturation. No values are available in the free literature for the conditions typically found in oil and gas production. So far, rough estimates from the standard tables and empirical values mentioned above have been used as a basis for the selection of materials. These are arbitrarily imprecise and have led to a large number of cases of damage.
By measuring the electrochemical potentials of commonly used materials in a selection of model media, their galvanic corrosion behaviour could be predicted much better. This would facilitate the selection of materials, prevent damage due to incorrect material combinations and, in some cases, allow the use of less expensive materials instead of expensive standard materials.

In this study, temperature-dependent practical stress series on steels are to be determined experimentally, as they are used technically in oil and gas production. In model media and under reservoir conditions their corrosion potentials are to be measured and the corrosion behaviour determined. In addition, the corrosion risk due to galvanic element formation for the relevant material pairings shall be made predictable by measuring the element flows. This would also provide quantitative information on the extent of corrosion.

The final report is published.