Learn more about our webinar: Corrosion inhibitors (CIs): How to choose the right CI for your system?
Our recent webinar on Corrosion Inhibitors (CIs): How to Choose the Correct CI for Your System?
Covered essential topics such as protection and safety in oil extraction. We discussed the different types of corrosion and how to select the appropriate CI for each system to reduce corrosion rates, protect equipment and pipelines, and ensure operator safety.
The session also explored corrosion prevention strategies, highlighting the roles of primary and secondary inhibitors in combating corrosion in aggressive environments. We showcased how the SURFONIC® OFC and ULTROIL® CI series deliver advanced protection, and demonstrated how the synergy between primary and secondary inhibitors can enhance asset durability, lower maintenance costs, and minimize unplanned downtime.
Check out more details about the webinar below and access the presentation materials!
Q&A – Technical Questions
Yes, absolutely. These compounds are compatible with a variety of other components, such as scale inhibitors, and can be used to formulate multifunctional products. Take imidazolines, for example — they are amine-based and therefore basic in nature. While it might seem that they would neutralize acidic species in a formulation, in practice, they are typically used at low dosages. As a result, their impact on the system’s overall acidity, particularly in acid corrosion applications, is minimal. This allows them to work synergistically with acidic components without compromising performance.
The SURFONIC® OFC and ULTROIL® CI series products can be applied during all aspects of the oil well lifecycle from drilling and completion to production and stimulation. They are compatible with carbon steel, stainless steel, and other metal alloys, particularly in alkaline environments.
One must consider several factors when selecting the appropriate inhibitor for their unique system. These include:
- Solubility, oil/water portioning coefficient, focusing on balanced oil- and water-solubility (partition coefficients between 2 and -2 or, preferably, between 1 and -1.
- Charge of the polar headgroup, negative or positive depending on the need for inhibition at the anode or cathode
- Brine chemistry and the ionic strength .e. salt tolerance of the inhibitor to be selected
- Synergistic effects between primary and secondary inhibitors, to be evaluated in laboratory tests
- Compatibility with other additives for scale, paraffin, etc. control, laboratory testing in presence of other additives
- Shape-factor of hydrophobic portion of inhibitor e. linear, branched, cyclic, etc., sometimes difficult to assess without laboratory testing and modeling
- Economics/cost
There are many examples in the literature that detail the use of these families of inhibitors in both H2S and CO2 environments. Effectiveness is typically H2S and CO2 concentration dependent, but the details of that dependence are quite system specific and are generally addressed via increases in dosage, although overdosing can occur. Laboratory testing is needed to determine.
These products are globally available, with the exception of Europe, where only REACH-certified products can be supplied due to regulatory requirements.
In order to aid in selecting a suitable inhibitor, we would like to know oil composition (SARA analysis, equivalent carbon number, API gravity, etc.), water composition (salt content, pH), water cut relative to oil cut, metal needing protection, other additives in system (general chemistries), temperature, and oxygen content if any.
