The integrity of corrosion inhibitor films was challenged in a large scale multiphase flow loop
using slug flow. Two different kinds of water-soluble corrosion inhibitors were tested at two
different concentrations. A slug flow regime was used because of the high wall shear stress
that can be generated. Results show that mechanical forces in this multiphase flow regime as
described by the high levels of turbulence and wall shear stress did not have a detrimental
effect on the performance of the corrosion inhibitors used in this study. However, the
formation of foam appeared as a likely cause of corrosion inhibitor’s lack of performance in
multiphase flow environments.
Key words: corrosion inhibitors, multiphase, slug flow, shear stress