Full well stream carbon steel pipelines offer substantial cost savings over alternatives such as
offshore gas dehydration or pipelines clad with corrosion-resistant alloys. Such well streams are
typically highly corrosive and a qualified corrosion inhibitor is required to extend the service life of the
steel. The qualified corrosion inhibitor must be compatible with production fluids, and not affect the
performance of nonmetallic seals or the effectiveness of other process chemicals. Testing procedures
for the qualification and selection of corrosion inhibitors vary in response to the pipeline's fluid
hydraulics, temperature, and pressure. However, these procedures also vary because of the different
specifications and implementation approaches employed by chemical suppliers and users. This paper
will cover a series of testing requirements that should be part of any corrosion inhibitor qualification and
will emphasize the testing parameters most representative of the field conditions.
Keywords: corrosion inhibition, wet gas, partitioning, qualification, top of line, galvanic corrosion,
elastomer compatibility