Study on the Galvanic Corrosion between 13Cr Alloy Tubing and Downhole Tools of 9Cr and P110: Experimental Investigation and Numerical Simulation

Abstract

The galvanic corrosion of oil and gas production string is related to wellbore integrity and production safety. In order to study the galvanic corrosion of an oil and gas well tubing assembly and maintain production safety, this paper studied the galvanic corrosion behavior between 13Cr alloy steel tubing and the downhole tools of 9Cr and P110 in formate annular fluid via experimental and numerical simulation methods. The chemical composition, HTHP corrosion tests and electrochemical measurement of the three materials were investigated to analyze the corrosion mechanism and electrochemical parameters. Then, a full-sized 3D galvanic corrosion model of 13Cr tubing and a 9Cr/P110 joint combination was established using COMSOL Multiphysics software based on the electrochemical test results. The mechanism and current variation law of the galvanic corrosion of different tubing materials are discussed and analyzed in the paper. The results revealed that the corrosion rates obtained based on the electrochemical test are as follows: P110 (0.072 mm/y) > 9Cr (0.033 mm/y) > 13Cr (0.0022 mm/y). The current densities of a combination of 13Cr tubing with a 9Cr joint and 13Cr tubing with a P110 joint vary dramatically: the current density of the 13Cr tubing–P110 joint reach 1.6 × 10−4 A/cm2, higher than the current density of the combination of 13Cr tubing and a 9Cr joint. The results of a 3D FEM analysis show that the 13Cr tube demonstrates obvious galvanic corrosion with 9Cr and P110 joints, which is consistent with the analysis results of the polarization curve. This study therefore explains the galvanic corrosion mechanism of different tubing materials and provides guidance for the safe use of tubing in the productive process.