Enhancing the Flow‐Accelerated Corrosion Resistance of X70 API Steel Through Laser Surface Melting in Synthetic Oilfield Water

Abstract

Hydrodynamic flow conditions play a critical role in piping failure due to sharp variations of the Reynolds number in process and petrochemical industries. The current study aims to enhance flow‐accelerated corrosion (FAC) resistance using metallurgy of the surface by utilizing the laser surface melting (LSM) technique. The FAC behavior of API X70 steel in simulated Indian synthetic oilfield water was studied by utilizing a closed‐loop corrosion apparatus to simulate the pipeline flow. Electrochemical corrosion experiments (AC and DC methods) were conducted at a constant fluid velocity of 3 m/s in untreated and LSM‐treated samples (at 2.5 and 3.0 kW) placed at a 90° pipe elbow. Experimental results showed that LSM‐treated samples displayed enhanced resistance to FAC, attributed to changes in surface metallurgy. Additionally, it was observed that the corrosion rate varied within the pipe elbow for the different samples at different locations.