Chemical qualification of corrosion inhibitors in laboratory-based assessment generally relies on approaches designed to replicate all key aspects of the corroding environment (pCO2, field crude, brine composition, system temperature, pressure, wall shear, etc.). However, time and costs associated with more sophisticated techniques (e.g., HPHT autoclave or flow loop tests) may restrict use of such tests to chemicals at dose rates pre-qualified from simpler screening tests.
This paper provides illustrative examples of how seemingly small changes to test methodology in preliminary screening tests can significantly influence the absolute performance and relative ranking of corrosion inhibitors: specifically, the effect of pre-corrosion; brine chemistry and how it may need to be adjusted to avoid artefacts from scale deposition; and how procedural aspects can alter the effectiveness of inhibitor partitioning between oil and water phases.
The work therefore provides recommendations on optimal approaches and highlights the methodologies that can affect chemical screening for different applications. This will assist in improving design of corrosion inhibitor screening programs and eliminating common errors and artefacts.
Key words: Corrosion inhibitor, screening, testing, laboratory, procedures, LPR