As part of a strategic review for future oil field developments, the historic performance of oil &
gas production facilities of a number of sour fields in Sultanate of Oman have been re-assessed. The
fields are all characterized as having high CO2 and H2S, high gas-oil ratio but very low water content.
Different material selection strategies had been adopted over several years across the fields
despite the very similar operating conditions. In one field nickel-based corrosion resistant alloys (CRAs)
were used extensively; in another the bulk of the facilities were fabricated from carbon steel, and in the
most recent development a mixture of CRAs, carbon steel and corrosion inhibition was used.
The paper reviews the corrosion performance of carbon steel (with and without corrosion
inhibitor) in these conditions, based on corrosion monitoring (mainly corrosion coupon data) and
corrosion inspection (UT wall thickness measurements). The actual performance of carbon steel
components in the different fields was compared to the predicted corrosion rates using industry
standard models and also to laboratory test data, including tests to determine the ability for the oil to
emulsify and hold water at low water content. Generally very low corrosion rates were found, which is
considered to relate to formation of stable FeS films and the limited presence of free water in the
system.
Based on the practical experience and recent laboratory test data a new material selection
strategy has been established for future developments