FAILURE OF CRUDE OIL COOLERS AT RAMADAN FIELD IN THE GULF OF SUEZ - A CASE STUDY

摘要

Reservoir fluids from the Ramadan field in the Gulf of Suez, Egypt, are cooled from a nominal 125°F (52℃) to 80°F ( 27℃)in five double pass, floating head, shell & tube heat exchangers before being separated. The cooling medium is untreated sea water from the Gulf of Suez with an ambient temperature of+/- 75° F (24℃ ). As a result of severe leakage from the coolers soon after installation, the material specification for the tube bundles was changed from 90/10 Copper/Nickel to Grade 2 Titanium. The coolers continued to fail. Analysis of the corrosion mechanisms and hindsight emphasize the need for operators, designers and corrosion engineers to communicate before equipment is specified, purchased and installed. Had this happened, significant operating expense and deferred oil production from the Ramadan field could have been avoided