Corrosion experiences and inhibition practices operating wet sour gas gathering systems are discussed with emphasis on wet salty pipelines contaminated with elemental sulfur deposition. Baseline pitting corrosion rates and inhibitor performance in a series of sulfur spiked laboratory test protocols are also reviewed. Tests were conducted simulating field environments in Western Canada, challenging corrosion inhibitors to protect pipeline assets from severe pitting corrosion consequences, when sour produced brine is contaminated with elemental sulfur compounds.
Key words: sulfur corrosion, salty sour brine, pitting accelerator, sour gas, wet pipeline corrosion control.