The need for a tool that could help corrosion engineers in the time consuming task of evaluating the corrosivity of the fluids involved in the gas and oil fields, and to select the best cost-performing materials and corrosion control methods was and still is strongly felt in the oil companies. Information technology offers plenty of possibilities: the development of an expert system was judged the best way to construct such a tool because the nature of the work performed by corrosion engineers is based mainly on experience and can be simulated in an optimal manner by this type of software. The characteristics of the expert system are described. The architecture and the multidisciplinary approach used to deal with the multifaceted problem of selecting the best option for the corrosion control are discussed. The expert system evaluates, in a first module, the corrosivity of the produced fluids with respect to carbon steel; in a second module, the effect of the well design is considered (effect of flow characteristics, water wetting, etc.). In the third module, the selection of the applicable materials, each one associated to a performance index, is carried out. The fourth module evaluates the possible corrosion control methods and in three sub.modules the impact of completion fluid, stimulation acid mixtures, and galvanic coupling is estimated. A first approach to the risk analysis of the possible selections is performed in the fifth module. A cost comparison between the different solutions is performed, based on the life cycle cost method, to be able to select the optimal material/corrosion control method for well completion both from technical and economic point of view. The feedback from the continuous use of the system for a period of three years is reported and the programs for future developments are described.
Kevwords: corrosion, expert systems, oil and gas, well completion.