Development of Corrosion Inhibitors to Mitigate Elemental Sulfur Induced Pitting Corrosion

The effects of elemental sulfur on the corrosion of mild steel is a serious problem in the oil & gas industry costing millions of dollars annually in lost production and assets. Mitigating the corrosive effects of elemental sulfur on mild steel in the oil and gas industry is a challenge and finding a viable solution would provide a more cost effective and safer working environment and as well as be environmentally conscious. Currently, there are no highly effective products for elemental sulfur corrosion in the marketplace. More than fifty new chemical formulations were blended and screened by rotating cylinder electrode method (RCE). These formulations were tested in the presence of 0.1% elemental sulfur in mildly sour conditions. The promising candidates were identified and tested again in the presence of elemental sulfur under the same mildly sour conditions. The most promising candidates from the initial screening were then subjected to rotating cage autoclave (RCA) testing for extended periods of time in the presence of 0.1% and 0.15% elemental sulfur. The general corrosion rates were calculated via weight loss and the metal surfaces were examined under a high-power digital microscope for pitting and localized corrosion. A detailed analysis of the above testing yields promising results. The results from the testing show that formulations mitigate pitting in environments containing elemental sulfur. In less harsh conditions, such as low chloride brines or low CO2 environment, formulations seem to provide excellent protection against general corrosion while mitigating pitting due to elemental sulfur. In more extreme environments such as harsh brines with elevated chloride levels, high hydrogen sulfide and CO2 levels, the formulations mitigate pitting but need further development in inhibiting general corrosion The best product currently developed inhibits corrosion and pitting in the presence of elemental sulfur in various conditions and performs well against elemental sulfur in more aggressive sour systems. We are currently improving the performance against elemental sulfur and developing chemistries to mitigate polysulfide induced corrosion in sour systems. This paper describes the development of effective inhibitors for corrosion and pitting in the presence of elemental sulfur under sour conditions. This study focuses more on pitting corrosion due to the corrosive characteristics of elemental sulfur than on uniform general corrosion. The general corrosion with the selected inhibitor was highly mitigated and was less than 3.0 mpy while yielding excellent protection against sulfur induced pitting.