The design of corrosion monitoring systems for oil and gas production is discussed. A whole system approach has been taken: the user should carefully consider the monitoring objective, such as support corrosion control, monitor wall thickness, or determine the fluid corrosivity. This leads to selection of the relevant parameters to be monitored, logical monitoring locations, the required sensitivity and response time, data communication and analysis, and reliability requirements commensurate with the operating philosophy. In a parallel exercise the corrosion mechanism, taking into account potentially changing operating conditions, has to be analyzed to define the required coverage. Once these steps are taken, suitable techniques can be selected. The final choice will depend on availability and cost. Examples of corrosion monitoring systems and key performance indicators for common systems are given.
Keywords: corrosion monitoring, monitoring techniques, availability, reliability