Guidelines for the management of microbiologically influenced corrosion in oil and gas production

Transcription

1 Guidelines for the management of microbiologically influenced corrosion in oil and gas production

2 GUIDELINES FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF MICROBIOLOGICALLY INFLUENCED CORROSION IN OIL AND GAS PRODUCTION First edition November 2017 Published by ENERGY INSTITUTE, LONDON The Energy Institute is a professional membership body incorporated by Royal Charter 2003 Registered charity number

3 The Energy Institute (EI) is the chartered professional membership body for the energy industry, supporting over individuals working in or studying energy and 250 energy companies worldwide. The EI provides learning and networking opportunities to support professional development, as well as professional recognition and technical and scientific knowledge resources on energy in all its forms and applications. The EI s purpose is to develop and disseminate knowledge, skills and good practice towards a safe, secure and sustainable energy system. In fulfilling this mission, the EI addresses the depth and breadth of the energy sector, from fuels and fuels distribution to health and safety, sustainability and the environment. It also informs policy by providing a platform for debate and scientifically-sound information on energy issues. The EI is licensed by: the Engineering Council to award Chartered, Incorporated and Engineering Technician status; the Science Council to award Chartered Scientist status, and the Society for the Environment to award Chartered Environmentalist status. It also offers its own Chartered Energy Engineer, Chartered Petroleum Engineer and Chartered Energy Manager titles. A registered charity, the EI serves society with independence, professionalism and a wealth of expertise in all energy matters. This publication has been produced as a result of work carried out within the Technical Team of the EI, funded by the EI s Technical Partners. The EI s Technical Work Programme provides industry with cost-effective, value-adding knowledge on key current and future issues affecting those operating in the energy sector, both in the UK and internationally. For further information, please visit The EI gratefully acknowledges the financial contributions towards the scientific and technical programme from the following companies Apache North Sea Repsol Sinopec BP Exploration Operating Co Ltd RWE npower BP Oil UK Ltd Saudi Aramco Centrica Scottish Power Chevron North Sea Ltd SGS Chevron Products Company Shell UK Oil Products Limited CLH Shell U.K. Exploration and Production Ltd ConocoPhillips Ltd SSE DCC Energy Statkraft DONG Energy Statoil EDF Energy Tesoro ENGIE Taqa Bratani ENI Total E&P UK Limited E. ON UK Total UK Limited ExxonMobil International Ltd Tullow Oil Innogy Uniper Kuwait Petroleum International Ltd Valero Maersk Oil North Sea UK Limited Vattenfall Nexen CNOOC Vitol Energy Phillips 66 Woodside Qatar Petroleum World Fuel Services However, it should be noted that the above organisations have not all been directly involved in the development of this publication, nor do they necessarily endorse its content. Copyright 2017 by the Energy Institute, London. The Energy Institute is a professional membership body incorporated by Royal Charter Registered charity number , England All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced by any means, or transmitted or translated into a machine language without the written permission of the publisher. ISBN Published by the Energy Institute The information contained in this publication is provided for general information purposes only. Whilst the Energy Institute and the contributors have applied reasonable care in developing this publication, no representations or warranties, express or implied, are made by the Energy Institute or any of the contributors concerning the applicability, suitability, accuracy or completeness of the information contained herein and the Energy Institute and the contributors accept no responsibility whatsoever for the use of this information. Neither the Energy Institute nor any of the contributors shall be liable in any way for any liability, loss, cost or damage incurred as a result of the receipt or use of the information contained herein. Hard copy and electronic access to EI and IP publications is available via our website, Documents can be purchased online as downloadable pdfs or on an annual subscription for single users and companies. For more information, contact the EI Publications Team. e: pubs@energyinst.org

4 CONTENTS Page Foreword...6 Acknowledgements Introduction and scope Importance of MIC What is MIC? Important MIC microorganisms Sulfate-reducing bacteria Alternative electron acceptors for SRB Electron donors for SRB Sulfate-reducing archaea Sulfur-reducing bacteria and archaea Methanogenic archaea Acid-producing bacteria (APB) and fungi Iron-oxidising bacteria and archaea The consequences of growth on surfaces Controlling factors Temperature Pressure Salinity ph Locations at risk from MIC Susceptible materials Carbon and low alloy steels Stainless steels and other active/passive alloys Copper alloys Nickel alloys Aluminium alloys Non-metallic materials Degradation rates MIC prediction models Use of prediction models How to identify MIC threats in the field Typical systems affected by MIC Oil production and processing systems Downhole tubing/casing J-tubes Process equipment Wet gas treatment Drains Ballast tanks Flare systems Storage cells Pipelines Water injection Injection water chemistry

5 Contents continued Page Fire protection systems Hydrants Deluge system External corrosion of onshore pipelines Utility systems Cooling systems Heating systems Diesel systems Operational practices that introduce the threat of MIC Water injection Hydrotesting System shutdown without preservation Lack of pigging Impact of modifications and creation of process dead legs MIC detection approaches Detection system requirements Bioprobes Corrosion coupons and discs Sidestream devices Pigging debris analysis MIC risk assessment Initial MIC threat assessment Example of the use of risk assessment matrices Technical competences MIC prevention Design of new installations Pigging facilities Desulphation facilities Ultrafiltration Avoiding dead legs and low points Material selection Chemical and antifouling treatment facilities Sampling and monitoring facilities External corrosion of onshore pipelines Good practice in the operational phase Effective water treatment and use 'Bad' and 'good' practices Management of existing MIC Mitigation barriers Chemical treatment options for microbiological control Biocides to control microbial activity in oil and gas production Oxidising biocides Non-oxidising biocides Laboratory evaluation of biocidal chemicals Nitrate treatment of injection water Pigging Material upgrades Other techniques for microbiological control

6 Contents continued Page 5.2 Corrosion monitoring and inspection strategies Corrosion monitoring H 2 S trending Microbiology monitoring Serial dilution RapidChek II SRB detection system Epifluorescence microscopy DAPI FISH Bacterial population profile and identification using DGGE Quantitative PCR (qpcr) Inspection strategies Pipeline intelligent pigging Conventional UT, radiography and advanced UT techniques Thermography Continuous improvements and KPIs Microbial management strategy and responsibilities Pigging frequency Chemical frequency, concentration, quantity and duration Sampling Coupon retrieval frequency Probe data analysis Review and feedback Health, safety and environmental considerations Managing H 2 S Regulations around the use of biocides Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Other health safety and environmental implications associated with MIC monitoring and management Implications for the ageing and life extension inspection programme Safety and environmental critical elements References Glossary Case histories Example procedures Annexes Annex A Reservoir souring

7 FOREWORD The Guidelines for the management of microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) in oil and gas production have been developed with corrosion engineering staff on operational oil and gas production facilities in mind. Consequently, a working knowledge of corrosion science and technology has been assumed. No such prior knowledge of microbiological matters, however, has been expected. Instead, the intention has been to present salient microbiological information in a way that aids understanding rather than confuses by using unexplained microbiological terminology. This has been achieved in two ways. Firstly, at the end of each appropriate section in the text a short summary section is presented which outlines the key points of the section in a very condensed style. Secondly, a glossary of terminology appears in section 8. 6

8 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Energy Institute (EI) wishes to record its appreciation of the work carried out by the following individuals over the project duration. Steering Group Members Carlos Caicedo-Martinez (Chair) Shell Ismenia Alvarez Apache Manual Araneda PIM Ltd Richard Carroll Shell Carole Devine NECE (EI Microbiology Committee) Christopher Eze Nexen Graham Hill ECHA John MacDonald Chevron Calum MacPherson Total Zeinab Marsh Taqa Amanda Murray AMEC Tracey Reid Shell Edgar Rodrigues Taqa Marcus Rossiter Total Laura Scott Taqa Peter Smith Chevron Polina Zabelina BP Review only Members Andy Price Oil Plus Also, the guidance was peer reviewed by the EI Microbiology Committee. Technical drafting and editing by Peter Allison, James Stott, Ian Vance, OFC Consortium. This first edition guidance was coordinated and managed by Dr Cameron Stewart, EI, Upstream Technical Manager. 7

9 1 INTRODUCTION AND SCOPE 1.1 IMPORTANCE OF MIC The economic importance of microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) is difficult to quantify because there are a number of mechanisms by which the activity of microorganisms may accelerate corrosion, some of which are poorly understood. In addition, the diagnosis of MIC is difficult since there are no universally accepted guidelines to assist the investigator and no unambiguous 'fingerprints' that absolutely implicate microbiological activities. Estimates of the importance of MIC in oil and gas producing facilities are variable, but Pope et al. (1990) suggested that 20 to 30 % of corrosion damage in some systems has a microbiological basis. If left uncontrolled, microbiological activity can give rise to material failures (Figure 1) with all of the attendant additional financial costs of system shut down and lost production as well as potential environmental implications. Figure 1: Failure of produced water re-injection line caused by activity of sulfatereducing bacteria Crolet (2005) described the failure of a main pipeline in the Congo twice within one year as a result of the influence of microbiological processes. The cost for each line failure was given as between $10 million and $20 million. Clearly, MIC can inflict a significant financial penalty on oilfield operations. 8