Characterization of Corrosion Products in Oil and Gas Facilities Using X-Ray Powder Diffraction Method

Characterization of Corrosion Products in Saudi Aramco’s Oil & Gas Facilities using X-ray Powder Diffraction Method

 

Syed R. Zaidi and Husin Sitepu

X-ray Group, R&DC

 Abstract

 

In this talk, the application of XRD in identifying the corrosion products formed in refinery and gas plant will be discussed. The chemical components identification will be used by Engineers as the source to overcome the corrosion problems. It is a well known that a boiler consists of furnace and boiler. The furnace usually provides heat by burning a fuel, whereas boiler is a device in which the heat changes water into steam. For example, while presence of vanadium and sodium compounds in the sample indicates the quality of burning fuels is poor, presence of hematite-Fe₂O₃ (large quantities in steam drum deposits) indicates the presence of dissolved oxygen in boiler feed water. Additionally, if iron carbonate is appeared in the samples, it indicates the presence of dissolved carbon dioxide in the system. Also, the authors have identified metallic copper deposits in high quantity from the boiler drums and tubes, which indicate that special precautions are required to prevent the plating out of copper during cleaning operations, which indicates there is erosion in the boiler and special precautions are required to during cleaning operations. The identification procedures of the above materials will also be described.