Page 192 - Challenges in Corrosion Costs Causes Consequences and Control(2015)

170 CORROSION CAUSES

had a reported damage cost of $0, while 45 incidents had a cost between $0 and $100,
and 81 incidents cost more than $100.
Internal corrosion of tankers usually requires only mitigation when an oxidizing
agent or a corrosive agent is transported. Internal corrosion from settled contaminants
is limited because of high throughput and movement of the product during transporta-
tion. Internal corrosion of tankers can be a problem during long periods of storage,
in particular, when the tankers are not properly cleaned before storing the product in
the tanker.
Steel pails and drums are used as containers for transportation. Two possible rea-
sons for the replacement of pails and drums are damage by improper use and internal
corrosion. Assuming that 50% of the damage is because of internal corrosion, the
replacement costs of $145 million for pails and $342 million for drums have been
estimated.
Shipping containers, such as drums and pails, are subject to internal corrosion
damage and failure when corrosive materials are shipped. Internal corrosion is not a
problem when materials are shipped from the manufacturer because the proper con-
tainer material is used and the containers are transported in a short time. However,
contaminated or corrosive materials can cause failures when stored beyond the mate-
rial’s shelf life. The corrosion failure of drums containing hazardous waste tends to be
more of a problem. Typically, the problem occurs when the wastes are mixed or when
the waste is contaminated and stored in containers made of noncompatible materials.
In the transportation industries, external corrosion of tanker trucks and
railcar-mounted tanks is a common problem. Both general and pitting corrosion
from the atmosphere and splash water from the roadway or rail bed can affect the
tank’s structured integrity and tightness. This problem is particularly severe in areas
of the country with chloride sources such as road salt or airborne marine atmosphere
and severe airborne industrial pollution.

3.22 OIL AND GAS EXPLORATION AND PRODUCTION

Domestic oil and gas production can be considered a “dinosaur industry” in the
United States because most of the significant oil and gas reserves have been exploited.
The significant recoverable reserves left to be discovered and produced in the United
States are probably limited to less convenient locations, such as deep water offshore,
remote arctic locations, and difficult-to-manage reservoirs with unconsolidated sands.
Oilfield production environments can range from practically zero corrosion to
severely high rates of corrosion. Crude oil at normal production temperatures (less
∘
than 120 C) without dissolved gases is not, by itself, corrosive. The economics of
controlling corrosion in many oilfields is dependent on efficient separation of crude
oil from other species. While the rates may vary, the species causing the most prob-
lems are nearly universal. Carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide gases, in combination
with water, define most of the corrosion problems in oil and gas production. Other
problems are microbiological activity and the solids accumulation.