Field in-situ corrosion monitoring is of great significance for the safe and efficient operation of plants, oil and gas pipelines. Electrical resistance probes (ER) and weight-loss coupons in pipelines and tanks have been used for internal corrosion management in the last few decades. Even though the ER technique shows only general corrosion, the ER probe is widely used to determine corrosion inhibitor performance. The weight-loss coupon can detect localized corrosion, but continuous in-situ monitoring is impossible. Therefore, real-time pit detection monitoring is essential since most failures are due to pitting corrosion.
I-ER corrosion monitoring system based on artificial intelligence (AI) and real-time pit-detection monitoring system were introduced. This paper describes comparison results between weight-loss coupons and multi-functional probe (pit detection technique + electrical resistance technique) are described. The multifunctional probe can provide not only pit detection but also general corrosion rate.
Pipeline internal corrosion is an important issue that threatens pipeline safety operations. Catastrophic failures of pipelines and equipment due to corrosion-related shortcomings can lead to fires, explosions, and the release of toxic materials into the environment. Regulator noted that more than 9000 failures occurred due to internal corrosion from 1990 to 20121.
AMPP (NACE) International Publication 3T 199 describes a wide range of direct and indirect internal corrosion measurement techniques including each technique's benefits and limitations across the wide spectrum of industries2. Here, ER and weight-loss coupon techniques are widely used in the oil and gas industry. Both techniques can be used in any environmental condition. The main advantage of ER technique is continuous monitoring, which is helpful for the optimization of a corrosion inhibition concentration3. However, this technique cannot detect localized corrosion. For the weight-loss coupon technique, laboratory analysis can determine pitting corrosion; however, continuous monitoring is impossible. Corrosion measurement requires a long exposure time (at least 90 days). Therefore, early signs of pitting corrosion cannot be determined.
