Erosion-corrosion of carbon steel in crude oil : Velocity effects on the erosion-corrosion map

In this work, the effects of erosion-corrosion on carbon steel in two environments, crude oil and crude oil/ 20% water environments containing Al2O3 particles were investigated using an impinging erosion test rig, at two velocities and at a range of impact angles and applied potentials. The results indicated that the corrosion contribution increased with an increase in the percentage of reservoir water. It was observed that the erosion rate changed as a function of impact angle and applied potential and depended on the nature of the corrosion product formed on the surface and the presence of the oil film. Furthermore, increases in velocity altered the erosion-corrosion mechanism significantly. Mechanisms of erosion-corrosion were proposed based on the laboratory studies. The results were used to construct erosion–corrosion maps showing mechanistic interactions, as a function of impact angle and electrochemical potential, at the various exposure velocities.