High-efficiency Corrosion Inhibitor for Acidizing: Synthesis, Characterization and Anti-corrosion Performance of Novel Indolizine Derivative

A novel indolizine derivative inhibitor for acidization was introduced. It could exhibit effective corrosion inhibition at a much lower concentration without propargyl alcohol and shows economic and environmental advantages. From quinoline, benzyl chloride, and chloroacetic acid, two indolizine derivatives were prepared under certain conditions. These inhibitive indolizine derivatives were both synthesised from benzyl quinoline chloride (BQC), which one of the conventional quaternary ammonium corrosion inhibitors used for acidising. The target compound was purified and instrumental analysis methods including elemental analysis, high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS), and NMR were used to characterise the chemical structure. The inhibition performance of the indolizine derivatives in 15 wt.% HCl, 20 wt.% HCl, and mud acid (12%HCl + 3%HF) for N80 steel was investigated by weight loss measurement, electrochemical method (potentiodynamic polarization and EIS), and SEM surface morphology assessment. When 0.1 wt.% indolizine derivative was added, the inhibition efficiency of N80 steel in 15 wt.% HCl at 90 °C increased to 98.8 % and 99.1 % respectively without the synergistic effect of propargyl alcohol: however, in terms of BQC, even at a dosage of 1.0 wt.%, the inhibition efficiency of N80 steel only reached 83.3 % under the same conditions. The novel derivative could impart an improved corrosion resistance effect. Compared with BQC, there are more active adsorption sites in the derivative and therefore the inhibitor could be better fastened to the steel surface. The firmly adsorbed inhibitors would thereby prevent the metal surface from making contact with H+ ions and finally increase the inhibitory effect. As a high-efficiency corrosion inhibitor, the novel indolizine derivatives may offer a new strategy for corrosion protection in acidising.