Scale-Inhibitor Testing for Multiphase Pipelines in a Subsea-to-Shore Development With a Closed MEG-Loop System

Abstract

Abstract The sub sea development of the Ormen Lange gas field located in the Norwegian Sea will use MEG (mono-ethyleneglycol) for hydrate inhibition. Gas, condensate and MEG + water will be transported through a multiphase carbon steel pipeline to the onshore process plant at Nyhamna located on the west coast of Norway. pH adjustment and film forming corrosion inhibitor will be used to control the corrosion rate in the pipeline. Although the corrosion rate is low during production, iron will be produced due to corrosion and follow the MEG/water phase. Most of the iron will be removed as iron carbonate particles during the MEG regeneration process but about 10ppm iron as particles and ions is expected to circulate in the MEG-loop. Production of formation water will result in carbonate scaling when pH stabilised MEG is used as corrosion control unless a scale inhibitor is used. Three commercial scale inhibitors have been tested for this system. Tests have been performed without iron, with iron ions and with iron carbonate particles present. The results from the tests showed that the scale inhibitor concentration had to be increased considerably when iron ions were present compared to experiments without iron. The scale inhibitors performed poorer at the same inhibitor concentration in tests where iron carbonate particles were present than in tests with iron ions. Scale inhibitor concentrations up to 400ppm were used in the tests without achieving satisfactory scale protection when iron particles were present. In addition tests with lowering the amount of pH stabiliser have been performed. Tests with combining scale and corrosion inhibitors have also been performed. No scale inhibitors have shown satisfactory performance when iron carbonate particles were present in the tests.