Borehole Integrity of Austenitized and Annealed Pipe Steels Suitable for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)

Abstract

Properties of pipe steels for CCS (carbon capture and storage) technology require resistance against the corrosive environment of a potential CCS-site (heat, pressure, salinity of the aquifer, CO2-partial pressure). The influence of austenitzing in heat treatment routines of two different injection pipe steels (1.4034, X46Cr13 and 1.4021, X20Cr13) was evaluated. Steel coupons were austenitized at different temperatures (900-1050 °C) for different lengths of time (30-90 min) before quenching and annealing prior to long term corrosion experiments (60°C, 100 bar, artificial brine close to a CCS-site in the Northern German Basin, Germany). In general, fewer pits are found on X46Cr13. Comparing steels with 13% chromium each the higher carbon content of X46Cr13 (0.46% C) results in a lower number of pits compared to X20Cr13 (0.20% C). It is found that neither the carbon content of the steels nor austenitizing temperature has much influence, but local corrosion behaviour is most susceptible towards austenitzing time.