EVALUATION OF GENERIC INHIBITORS BEHAVIOR FORMULTIPHASE SYSTEMS (STEEL-BRINE-CO2/H2S) BYUSING ELECTROCHEMICAL TECHNIQUES

Abstract

One of the main ways to inhibit the corrosion is the adsorption of organic compounds on the surface of a metal. This study reports the behavior of six different organic inhibitors in a system carbon steel AISI-SAE1020/brine 3%w of NaCl/ gas mixture of 6% volume of CO2/10 ppm of H2S/ hydrocarbon. Two primary amines with sixteen and eighteen atoms of carbon were used, a secondary amine with twenty atoms and three carboxylic acids of sixteen, eighteen and twenty carbon atoms.  Linear polarization resistance measurements were used, along with Tafel extrapolation and electrochemical impedances to assess the influence of temperature, velocity of fluid, inhibitor concentration and concentration of oleic phase on the inhibition efficiency in the Electrode of Rotational Cylinder, ECR.  Activation and adsorption energies were calculated for the processes of corrosion in the system; according to the values derived, it was possible to define the system brine/CO2/H2S/ inhibitor, as a process with mixed control, where the phenomenon of mass transfer and that of charge transfer are in competition and the values obtained for the energy of adsorption of Gibbs, allowed checking that these compounds showed a chemical adsorption on the metallic surface. Under critical testing conditions (4 m/s, 59ºC or 332,15K) the amines present a better efficiency than carboxylic acids, thus complying with the electro-negativity theory applied to inhibitors. It was then possible to establish by the results obtained for the with hydrocarbon cuts tests, that this parameter adversely affects the percentage efficiency of the inhibitor.