Line Modeling of C02 Corrosion of Offshore Pipeline

C02 corrosion has been a recognized problem in oil and gas production and
transportation facilities for many years. The common approach in predicting C02
corrosion is by using point modeling where corrosion rate is calculated based on
inlet design parameters. This approach is conservative as it only considers the
maximum design. Line modeling is multi-point simulation that allows us to get
the information on corrosion rates at each point along the pipeline, thus allowing
us to make more accurate and precise decisions. This project will analyze both
modeling methods and compared both results with the field corrosion rate data. A
case study from Malaysia oilfield is chosen for total length of 10 kilometers
pipeline. MULTICORP software is used to simulate the point modeling and line
modeling. For the first 3 kilometers, both modeling approaches predict almost
similar corrosion rates. For the remaining part of the pipeline, which is from 3-7
kilometers, line modeling approach predicts closer corrosion rate to the actual
corrosion rate compared to point modeling approach. The accuracy of either point
modeling or line modeling depends on variability of main process parameters
such as temperature and fluid flow.