Non-Intrusive Techniques to Monitor Internal Corrosion of Oil and Gas Pipelines

摘要

A wide range of non-intrusive measurement techniques are available, each with strengths and weaknesses. It is important to analyze various techniques with respect to their accuracy, cost benefits, user-friendliness, remote monitoring, and limitations so that the results obtained can be effectively used in integrity management programs. This paper presents the results obtained from testing five (5) non-intrusive techniques (ultrasonic-handheld, ultrasonic-fixed, electrical probe, hydrogen permeation, and fibre-optic) by placing them individually on 6-foot long test pipes. Each pipe possessed artificially implanted 24 internal corrosion pits of different sizes and shapes; was attached with a non-intrusive monitoring technique on its external surface; was filled with brine, crude oil, and gas mixtures of H_2S, CO_2, and methane of various ratios; and was subjected to various temperature and pressure cycles over a period of twelve (12) years. Based on this investigation the reliability of non-intrusive monitoring techniques has been established. This paper deals exclusively with non-intrusive techniques and does not compare the non-intrusive techniques with other sensitive intrusive techniques.