Investigation into flow-induced internal corrosion direct assessment in small-diameter dry gas fluctuating pipeline

Abstract

Small-diameter undulating natural gas pipelines with low gas transmission capacity do not have internal inspection conditions to grasp the internal corrosion status of the pipeline. This study focuses on a small-diameter undulating dry natural gas gathering and transportation pipeline, the internal corrosion mechanism of the pipeline is studied through corrosion products, and the specific location of the internal corrosion sensitive pipe segment is determined based on multiphase flow simulation and PMDT(pipeline non-contact magnetic anomaly detection); the excavation inspection is ultimately used to evaluate the internal status of the pipeline. The results demonstrate that the internal corrosion mechanism of ZL (ZI Lai) pipeline is O2 and CO2 synergistic corrosion in which O2 plays a dominant role, while the increasing flow rate will aggravate corrosion; The maximum general corrosion rate and critical inclination along the pipeline are 0.0218 mm/a and 18.4°, respectively. Furthermore, twelve corrosion sensitive segments have been identified, including two II-level and six III-level magnetic anomaly segments. The internal corrosion defects are localized at the 3–9o’clock position of the pipeline, with a maximum general corrosion rate not exceeding 0.0228 mm/a. Furthermore, the pipeline failure pressure of 12.27 MPa surpasses the maximum allowable working pressure of 8.84 MPa, ensuring its continued operational safety. The corrosion protection measures of reducing the water content of natural gas, adding vapor corrosion inhibitor and regularly detecting magnetic anomaly pipeline are developed.