Abstract
The oil and gas produced from the reservoirs of relatively low formation strength inevitably carry micro-sized sand particles, which adversely influence the flow-lines and other installations. The financial deliberations favor the choice of low-cost metals, in general, carbon steel as a flow-line material. Yet, there are many cases where carbon steel been substituted with a low-cost stainless steel. The corrosion resistance of the stainless-steel is well accepted. However, there is another type of deformation that is not well studied and understood is its erosion resistance. The objective of this study is to investigate the factors affecting the erosion of stainless steel placed in a dry sand stream of micro-size particles. The manipulated variables were sand size, impingement angle, gas flow velocity, and nozzle distance. The obtained results showed that the large particle size, high fluid-flow velocity and short nozzle distance would result in more severe erosion of the stainless-steel coupons.
Highlights
The recovery of crude oil from the reservoirs is a complex process, which may cause significant financial losses if not handled properly
The economic factor has determined the choice of low-cost metals, in general, the carbon steel as a flowline material [1]
An example of aggressive brine where carbon steel can fail is the brine containing a weak acid, such as acetic acid [2]. This is due to the enhancement in the carbon steel corrosion rate
Summary
The recovery of crude oil from the reservoirs is a complex process, which may cause significant financial losses if not handled properly. During oil recovery from reservoir, the selection of equipment and network of pipes require economic considerations. The economic factor has determined the choice of low-cost metals, in general, the carbon steel as a flowline material [1]. There are situations where carbon steel does not give the required performance and the practice is to employ a low cost stainless steel. An example of aggressive brine where carbon steel can fail is the brine containing a weak acid, such as acetic acid [2]. This is due to the enhancement in the carbon steel corrosion rate. Its corrosion rate has been extensively studied and the role of a passivating film, a few nanometers thick film of chromium inhibiting corrosion, is generally acceptable [3]
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