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PRCI PR-15-9916
- Interdependent Effects of Bacteria, Gas Composition, and Water Chemistry on Internal Corrosion of Steel Pipelines
- Report / Survey by Pipeline Research Council International, 04/02/2002
- Publisher: PRCI
$348.00$695.00
L51914e
Southwest Research Institute
Need: A recent Office of Pipeline Safety survey found that corrosion caused 17 to 20 percent of pipeline failures. Of those corrosion failures, roughly half resulted from internal corrosion. In pipelines, internal corrosion is caused by produced (carry-over) or condensed water that contains dissolved gas and/or bacteria. In many cases, chemicals with inhibiting or biocidal properties are added to mitigate corrosion. The internal corrosion in many systems occurs under slowly flowing conditions at ambient temperatures (e.g., relatively low temperature of about 15.5°C (60°F)).
Result: The overall objectives of this project were to determine the influence of microbial consortia typically found in condensed water, produced water, and hydrocarbons on the internal corrosion of steel pipeline exposed to CO2, H2S, and O2. To accomplish these objectives, a multi-year project was planned. For the first year, the specific objectives were to assemble a chemostat system capable of maintaining a mixed biofilm consortium of bacteria implicated in MIC of steels under the pressures encountered in gathering lines, identify the type of microbial populations inside pipelines and conditions under which internal MIC has been observed, and perform a limited number of corrosion tests to evaluate the effects of these bacteria on corrosion.
Benefit: A high-pressure autoclave system was modified to allow introduction of bacteria in a way that optimizes formation of a mixed bacteria biofilm on the surface of corrosion coupons. The limited number of tests showed that the bacteria survived, biofilms were grown, and corrosion rate could be assessed.
Southwest Research Institute
Need: A recent Office of Pipeline Safety survey found that corrosion caused 17 to 20 percent of pipeline failures. Of those corrosion failures, roughly half resulted from internal corrosion. In pipelines, internal corrosion is caused by produced (carry-over) or condensed water that contains dissolved gas and/or bacteria. In many cases, chemicals with inhibiting or biocidal properties are added to mitigate corrosion. The internal corrosion in many systems occurs under slowly flowing conditions at ambient temperatures (e.g., relatively low temperature of about 15.5°C (60°F)).
Result: The overall objectives of this project were to determine the influence of microbial consortia typically found in condensed water, produced water, and hydrocarbons on the internal corrosion of steel pipeline exposed to CO2, H2S, and O2. To accomplish these objectives, a multi-year project was planned. For the first year, the specific objectives were to assemble a chemostat system capable of maintaining a mixed biofilm consortium of bacteria implicated in MIC of steels under the pressures encountered in gathering lines, identify the type of microbial populations inside pipelines and conditions under which internal MIC has been observed, and perform a limited number of corrosion tests to evaluate the effects of these bacteria on corrosion.
Benefit: A high-pressure autoclave system was modified to allow introduction of bacteria in a way that optimizes formation of a mixed bacteria biofilm on the surface of corrosion coupons. The limited number of tests showed that the bacteria survived, biofilms were grown, and corrosion rate could be assessed.
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