Integrity of Corrosion Inhibitor Films in Multiphase Flow

The integrity of corrosion inhibitor films was challenged in a large scale multiphase flow loop using slug flow.  Two different kinds of corrosion inhibitors, both soluble in water, were tested at two different concentrations (20 and 50 ppm). The slug flow regime was used because of the high wall shear stress that can be developed.  Results show that the turbulence and wall shear stress in this particular multiphase flow system did not have an effect on the performance of the corrosion inhibitor film. Instead, the formation of foam seems to be the more conceivable scenario for diminishing the performance of these corrosion inhibitors in a multiphase flow situation.

Key words: inhibitor, multiphase, slug flow, shear stress