RISK BASED CORROSION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR OILFIELD PRODUCTION INSTALLATIONS - DEVELOPMENT, METHODOLOGY AND APPLICATION

摘要

Characterization and corrosion management in the oil industry is becoming of most importance due to the need for safety, preservation of the production facilities and technical integrity of the facilities to avoid damage to the environment, third party damage and unexpected production interruptions. This article presents an approach based on Risk Based Analysis (RBA) methodology for corrosion characterization, management and corrosion control of all production installations including subsurface and surface installations. A complete description of every step taken to develop a Corrosion Management System (CMS) is presented. The use of the RBA technique, once included in the CMS, allows to establish and evaluate the operating risks associated with every specific oilfield production equipment. The application of this methodology allows oil industry operators to prioritize and establish strategic corrosion control programs, and protection criteria and monitoring to either lower the risks or manage it. An application of the process and results are presented for subsurface pumping equipment; mainly for surface multiphase flow pipelines, in this case, internal and external assessments. The methodology used allows an evaluation of the associated risk leading to implementation of specific corrosion control strategies depending on the associated risk level. Some of these strategies may include: material selection, chemical injection systems, monitoring systems, pigging and inspection frequencies.