How spacers can help with corrosion management

摘要

Corrosion accelerates degradation and reduces the life of oil and gas infrastructure, including pipelines, and can cost the industry millions of dollars in rehabilitation, rebuilding and down time. Having a corrosion management system in place can reduce these costs and spacers are one of the tools available to help. All pipelines are exposed to a range of physical, climatic and chemical elements that can cause corrosion. This is often worse in harsh environments, such as coastal, tropical or desert areas, where pipelines are exposed to high salt levels or extreme temperatures which can accelerate the rate of decay. According to a National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE) International report, in 2013 corrosion in the industry - including oil and gas pipelines among others - cost Australia around US$407 billion (AU$528 billion) (27.4 per cent of GDP). While ignoring the effects of corrosion can be expensive for asset owners, planning for corrosion control and mitigation has a number of advantages, including extending the life of an asset and reducing maintenance time and costs.