Analyses of Black Powder in Natural Gas Pipeline

INPEX CORPORATION has a natural gas pipeline network which has been active since 1959 and currently has a total length of over 1,300km. The information on particle diameter distribution and chemical composition of black powder captured in the gas filters at the gas supply points represents a valuable source of information for pipeline operation management. This presentation contains information obtained from X-ray Fluorescence analysis (XRF), X-ray Diffraction analysis (XRD), Thermo Gravimeter & Differential Thermal analysis (TG-DTA) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry (FT/IR) of collected black powder from our pipelines.

From the results of analysis, Fe₃O₄ is the main compound of black powder and is originated from a process of dissolved oxygen corrosion due to the presence of very small amounts of oxygen and water in the pipeline. The presence of oxygen and water in the pipeline could be due to the exposure of the pipeline to the atmosphere during pipeline construction or other major works. As the next step, historical operational data and information about pipeline construction should be systematically collected and integrated in a useful way to predict the formation of black powder and manage pipeline maintenance.

Key Words: black powder, Sales Gas, internal corrosion, chemical properties, pipeline maintenance