Selection, Implementation and Monitoring of Corrosion Inhibitors for Downhole Chemical Treatment on Rod/Beam Pump Wells Bahrain Fields

Corrosion is a naturally occurring phenomenon commonly defined as the destructive attack of a metal that results from a chemical or electrochemical reaction with its environment. The effect of corrosion in the oil and gas industry leads to economic loss, a loss of containment and associated impact on HSE and asset integrity. There are many technologies to bring the oil to the surface. Rod or Beam pumps are the most common form of artificial lift for oil wells in onshore oilfields. They are simple machines that have a long and well documented history in the industry and are economically inexpensive. Corrosion inhibitors are commonly used to mitigate electrochemical corrosion in the oilfield. When added in small quantities to an aggressive medium, these chemicals inhibit corrosion by changing the surface conditions of the metal surface. In downhole systems, the prevailing conditions may be very severe, resulting in high corrosion rates. Corrosion inhibitors can be applied downhole, however, the selection and application of a corrosion inhibitor for downhole is typically more challenging than for a surface application. The paper gives a brief view on the selection of the suitable corrosion inhibitor that meets the well condition. It will explain how to select the best application methods for downhole corrosion on Rod Wells. The paper also demonstrates how the downhole treatment for rod wells is carried out giving in depth details of the method that has been used. It will present the results of a downhole treatment case and make recommendations for a performance monitoring program to optimize a treatment program ensuring its success. Finally, the paper concludes with a case history of downhole corrosion inhibitor application from an onshore field in the Middle East with 550 producing wells, where downhole corrosion inhibitor was successfully applied to 165 wells, leading to a major reduction in tubing corrosion failures