3156 The effect of nitrate anti-souring treatment on corrosion of mild steel

Overview:

This guidance looks at the effect of nitrate anti-souring treatment on the corrosion of carbon steel injection pipework.

An increasing number of operators are using nitrate to combat reservoir souring and suppress SRB activity. The biological anti-souring treatment is environmentally friendly for offshore applications and can be comparatively inexpensive. However, concerns have been raised regarding the effect of the treatment and its by-products on the corrosion of mild steel. Of particular concern is the intermittent generation of low concentrations of nitrite. 

The guidance was supported by chemical and microbial analyses to ensure an active microbial population representative of the commingled produced water and seawater. It provides a summary of the experimental work and findings with guidelines to operators on the use of the nitrate to combat SRB and associated reservoir souring.