Abstract
Material failure mainly because of corrosion is a highly dangerous and expensive phenomenon in the offshore sector of the oil and gas industry, associated with severe negative consequences such as loss of asset, loss of production due to plant shutdown, loss of human life, and health, safety, and environment (HSE) problems (e.g. environmental pollution). Additionally, piping systems are produced in large numbers for the topside facilities in the oil and gas plants. Thus, the main aim of this paper is to introduce a novel approach for the piping material selection in the offshore industry to minimize the risk of piping corrosion and weight reduction with an optimum cost. The central focus of the study is to develop a material selection tool based on a systematic material selection approach and the existing literature, standards, and specifications. In this study, the optimal material selection strategy includes three well-known methods of screening: Cambridge material selector, value engineering (VE), and technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS). The proposed guideline is a practical reference for material and piping engineers in the offshore industry to select the best choice of material for a specific application. The main finding of this research is that 25% chromium super duplex stainless steel is the best choice of material for processing piping systems in offshore plants for non-sour process (hydrocarbon) services. Super duplex stainless steel provides a high corrosion resistance and mechanical strength with the advantage of weight reduction for the selected facilities. A method of piping cost analysis is introduced to validate super duplex stainless steel as the most economical option.
Highlights
Corrosion in the oil and gas industry is a very expensive and harmful phenomenon similar to other natural disasters, such as earthquake, which damage the human health ecosystem, and facilities
As per a research conducted by the National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE), in 2001, the cost of corrosion had reached more than US $ 600 billion, which was evaluated as approximately 4%–6% of the gross national product (GNP) of the country
It is concluded that super duplex is the best material for all the process services based on both the value engineering (VE) and TOPSIS studies
Summary
Corrosion in the oil and gas industry is a very expensive and harmful phenomenon similar to other natural disasters, such as earthquake, which damage the human health ecosystem, and facilities. Kermani [1] had evaluated the effect of corrosion on three important areas of capital expenses (CAPEX); operation expenses (OPEX); and health, safety, and environment (HSE). He concluded that 25% of the failures in the petroleum industry are associated with corrosion failures. Extensive academic research has been conducted so far on different types of corrosion and its mechanism in the oil and gas industry by engineers, metallurgists, and scientists [2,3,4], no study has addressed material selection for and corrosion of 'piping' in the 'offshore industry.' selecting materials for piping and valves adds new requirements and parameters in addition to corrosion such as mechanical strength, weight reduction, availability of the material in the market, and cost. Development of a comprehensive and practical material selection tool, designed for piping in the offshore section of the oil and gas industry is essential
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
