On the corrosive aggressiveness of operating conditions at infrastructure facilities of underground gas storage facilities

Gas injected or withdrawn from underground storage facilities is characterized by the presence of corrosive carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide (from associated petroleum gas from oil fields or coal seams). In such environments, in the presence of moisture, conditions will arise for carbon dioxide or hydrogen sulfide corrosion to occur. However, there have been no previous studies of the problems of internal corrosion at underground gas storage facilities, despite their widespread distribution (PJSC Gazprom operates 23 such gas storage facilities in Russia). According to Gazprom VNIIGAZ LLC, it is incorrect to use tests in the vapor phase for such conditions (without contact of the metal with the aqueous environment), which leads to underestimated corrosion rates, not reflecting the real corrosion situation in underground gas storage facilities. The same erroneous results are obtained by using models (programs such as Norsok or others) to calculate the theoretical corrosion rate of steel used in underground gas storage facilities, because they were developed for completely different conditions of carbon dioxide corrosion on oil pipelines. The only correct way to obtain reliable corrosion data is to conduct model corrosion tests. Based on the results of the analysis of operational parameters and the research carried out by Gazprom VNIIGAZ LLC, it was determined that the most optimally simulate the aggressiveness of the environments of underground gas storage facilities are 2 types of tests - under conditions of moisture condensation on the metal and under conditions of variable wetting of the steel surface on a corrosion test bench developed by us. Simulation tests carried out by Gazprom VNIIGAZ LLC showed an increased rate of internal corrosion of carbon and low-alloy steels (up to 1…4 mm/year) with corrosion-hazardous parameters typical for underground gas storage facilities. During testing, increased localization of carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide corrosion is observed. Under such corrosive conditions, the main methods of protecting underground gas storage facilities will be either the use of corrosion inhibitors or the replacement of material design with corrosion-resistant steel.

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