Emerson company adds up hits from corrosion in oil and gas sector

BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 10. Losses due to corrosion in the oil and gas industry alone exceed $1 billion, according to the Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP), Bilgehan Karakuş, Emerson company's security solutions sales engineer for Azerbaijan and Türkiye, said at the event "Asset Integrity & Corrosion and Coatings Conference" in Baku today, Trend reports.

The company representative briefed on benefits and shortcomings of current approaches to managing corrosion risks in the oil and gas industry, noting that it's possible to use more corrosion-resistant metals within the CAPEX (capital expenditure) approach.

"From the OPEX (operating expenditure) perspective, various inhibitors can be used. However, according to the expert, none of these approaches is a complete solution to the problem. When corrosion and erosion processes are not monitored, production is kept below maximum capacity for safety reasons, which leads to suboptimal process operation.

As a result, unexpected shutdowns occur, which can cost companies millions of dollars. In some cases, such shutdowns are repeated, as new leaks are discovered sequentially," he explained.

The expert also said that an effective solution begins with risk monitoring.

"In this area, gas leak detection, corrosion probes installed inside the pipe, and coupons, as well as ER and LPR (electroresistivity and linear polarization resistance) methods, can be used. These methods allow determining the level of corrosion inside the pipeline," Karakus emphasized.

He pointed out that the solution that Emerson considers the most effective is non-invasive ultrasonic wall thickness measurement (UT) technology.

"This solution is applied online and wirelessly. Through UT measurements, the wall thickness of the pipe, the corrosion rate, and the remaining resource until the end of its service life are determined.

Besides, existing measurements can be integrated into analytical platforms, including AspenTech software. This is also supplemented with data from pH indicators, pressure, temperature, and in-line corrosion probes. As a result, more extensive analysis and accurate predictions are obtained.

Analytical results are presented in the form of different screens and reports for corrosion engineers, maintenance specialists, process engineers, and plant managers. For example, if corrosion engineers are mainly interested in technical indicators, costs, losses, and return on investment, when to stop production may be more important for plant managers," he stated.

The expert added that this approach allows for real-time management of corrosion risks, reduction of unplanned shutdowns, and overall safer and more efficient organization of production.