NACE Paper No.

MECCOCT18-12511

Volatile Corrosion inhibitor Gel Casing Filler: A Field Application

Khalil Abed
CORTEC Middle-East
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Email: kabed@cortec-me.com

Naim Dakwar
Saudi Aramco
Dhahran, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Email: naim.dakwar@aramco.com

ABSTRACT

For many years, steel casings were commonly installed over sections of pipelines to provide
mechanical protection under roads and railways. They were also used to provide a means of removing
and replacing corroded pipes without the need for excavating the road. On the other hand, steel
casings create an environment that can trap water and water vapor in the area surrounding the carrier
pipe which can lead to atmospheric and galvanic corrosion of carrier pipes. External corrosion of carrier
pipes inside cased pipeline crossings poses constant risk to pipeline integrity and operation.
An existing 42” pipeline section enclosed in a 48” steel casing with welded end seals extended 60
meters under Yanbu-Jeddah highway was needed to be re-used during a major rehabilitation of the
main pipeline. The pipeline section was last inspected by ILI in 2011 and found with minor metal loss. In
order to ensure higher confidence in reusing this pipeline section while maintaining the integrity, a
protection solution against corrosion on the carrier pipe inside the casing was mandated to ensure
safety of the pipeline.
A water-based casing filler gel impregnated with vapor phase corrosion inhibitor technology was used
to fill the casing’s annular space and provide corrosion protection to the inner surface of the casing and
the external surface of the carrier pipe. The overall field application consisted of pneumatic testing to
ensure current integrity of the casing, flushing the annulus space with inhibited water and injection of
the casing filler gel.

Keywords: casing, carrier pipe, corrosion, volatile inhibitor, casing filler, VCI
 INTRODUCTION

Historically, steel casings were normally installed over sections of pipelines to provide mechanical
protection for pipelines constructed under roads and railways. They were also used to provide a means
of removing and replacing damaged pipes without the need for excavating the road. Contrarywise, steel
casings can create a corrosive environment when trapping water, water vapor and debris in the area
surrounding the carrier pipe and lead to external corrosion of the carrier pipe.

External corrosion of carrier pipe inside casings poses constant risk to pipeline integrity and operation. 1
Beside general atmospheric corrosion at coating holidays on the carrier pipe, external corrosion on the
carrier pipe can occur due to high concentration of diffused oxygen with accumulated moisture
condensation at holidays and damaged coating areas. Presence of water, mud and debris can also
lead to accelerated corrosion at coating holidays and damaged areas. Microbial Induced Corrosion in
the presence of bacteria is also a possible scenario that can lead to accelerated corrosion. Prolonged
elevated temperatures may also cause coating damage and expose the carrier pipe surface to the
corrosive annulus environment and cause accelerated corrosion at those damaged areas. 2 From the
perspective of evaluating and maintaining pipeline integrity, pipeline casings are gradually becoming to
be viewed by pipeline operators as a liability rather than an asset. For example, casings are believed to
make the process of assessing coating integrity of the encased section of the pipeline using common
methods less effective. Hence, in the presence of a casing pipe more expensive and unconventional
coating assessment methods are required.3

A variety of water-displacing materials are used in oil & gas industry to mitigate external corrosion on
carrier pipe and prevent intrusion of groundwater. Many of them are wax-based, or petrolatum-based
agents that may provide an effective barrier between the pipe and potentially corrosive elements.
However, industrial experience shows that In-line inspection (ILI) of cased pipeline crossings identifies
the existence of external corrosion on the carrier pipe within the annular space inside cased crossings,
filled with wax, as well as un-filled cased crossings. Field experience shows such type of fillers are
subject to degrade over time. Total effectiveness of these barrier agents cannot be measured or
monitored on real-time basis, due to the difficulty of detecting voids that can develop inside areas of the
casing. Additionally, as the fill material settles, areas of the casing can be exposed to galvanic
corrosion agents.3

In recent years, amine carboxylate Volatile Corrosion Inhibitor (VCI) gel has been developed as casing
filler. Its characteristic capability to provide protection in liquid phase, vapor phase and at the interface
inside casings has provided operators with a practical solution to protect their existing carrier pipes
against corrosion.

FIELD APPLICATION

The pipeline operator was looking for a practical and environmentally friendly casing filler that mitigates
external corrosion of carrier pipe when in contact with air, moisture and at the sand/dirt interface and
prevent future ingress of water and air into annular space of the casing. A protection solution against
corrosion on the carrier pipe inside the casing was mandated to ensure safety of the pipeline.

An amine carboxylate-based vapor phase corrosion inhibitor gel filler was selected for field application.
This casing filler is designed to completely fill the casing with a water viscosity product that transforms
into a gel within a short period of time. When the filler is injected in the casing protective vapors
disseminate and diffuse through the sand/debris and air voids until partial vapor pressure equilibrium is
reached. Corrosion inhibiting molecules in the gel filler also migrate on a molecular level under any
disbonded coatings. The mechanism for corrosion control is the formation of a monomolecular layer on
any exposed metal on the pipeline external surface and casing internal surface through adsorption
process suppressing both metal dissolution and the reduction reaction. This adsorption is accomplished
without the need for direct contact of the VpCI chemical on the metal surface resulting in a total
protection even in the voids and air gaps developed due to settlement of filler or pipe movement.

To ensure a complete fill of the casing, a two-component gel was used. Part A liquid corrosion inhibitor
and Part B gelling powder. This feature enabled the filler to have the viscosity of water at ambient
temperature. Once inside the casing, the gel transforms into a high viscosity product within less than an
hour. The high viscosity of the developed gel prevents the ingress of water into the annulus and
prevents loss of the filler from the annulus. It is worthwhile mentioning that the application of the filler
should not require too much carrier pipe surface preparation and doesn’t require the casing to be dry
before filler installation. This is due to the fact that the filler gel is capable of combining nominal
quantities of annular space water during installation without compromising the corrosion mitigation
effectiveness.
The field application consisted of the following sequential steps:

Step 1: Pneumatic testing

Before injection of VCI gel filler, the casing was pneumatically tested and flushed with potable water
containing vapor phase corrosion inhibitor. The casing was tested up to 1.5 bars with total holding time
of 30 minutes. Once mechanical integrity of the casing was confirmed, air pressure was released
gradually and preparation for water flushing started.

Step 2: Water flushing

Phase one of the water flushing process started by pre-diluting the required quantity of vapor phase
corrosion inhibitor into a mixing tank. Inhibited water was then injected into the casing with circulation
action for 30 minutes. The discharged water from phase one was reddish brown as shown in Figure 1.
In phase two, another batch of vapor phase corrosion inhibitor was pre-diluted in the mixing tank and
Inhibited water was used to continuously flush the casing until the color of the water at outlet changed
from reddish brown to pale brown and to yellowish white as shown in Figure 2. The water discharge
was followed by pneumatic suction to ensure all water is removed from the casing ready for injection of
inhibited gel.
Step 3: injection of VCI gel filler
After conducting the necessary pneumatic testing and water flushing, the VCI gel filler was applied into
the casing annulus using a custom construed set of equipment mounted on 20 foot container as shown
in Figure 3 and 4. Once the equipment was positioned near the casing, the following steps were
followed:
1. Necessary connections were made to the casing vents
2. VCI concentrate Part A was mixed with water in the mixing tank.
3. The ambient temperature liquid mixture is then pumped into a hose connected to a casing vent.
4. The Part B superabsorbent powder was added into the liquid discharge stream as it flowed to
the casing.
 Figure 1 Discharge water contaminated with corrosion product

Figure 2 Clean discharge water

5. Filing continued until VCI gel cam out from the second vent indicating complete fill of the casing
annulus space.
6. Coupling to injection vent was disconnected and both vents were closed
After the casing was filled, the powder absorbs the liquid over a short time period and converted it into
a gel. The gel surrounds the carrier pipe with a high dosage of VCI that has been proven to provide
long term multi-phase protection against annulus corrosion.
During the filling process, the pressure build was closely monitored and kept below1 bar as shown in
Figure 5.

Figure 3. VCI gel filler injection skid

Figure 4. Casing schematic showing gel filing area

 Figure 5. Pressure build during filling process

CONCLUSION

Steel casings can create a corrosive environment when trapping water, water vapor and debris in the
area surrounding the carrier pipe and lead to external corrosion of the carrier pipe. This Field
application demonstrates a very effective and economical method of ensuring the integrity of the carrier
pipe inside the casing. This approach resulted in cost savings and reliable extension of the carrier pipe
service life. The successful filling was demonstrated by ensuring that the calculated gel amount was
successfully injected in the annulus. As a follow up to the filed application, Electrical Resistance (ER)
probes can be installed to continuously monitor the effectiveness of the corrosion inhibitor in the
annulus. VCI gel filler should be considered when rehabilitating and repairing existing cased crossings
to ensure integrity of case pipeline crossings.

REFERENCES

1. National Transportation Safety Board, “Pipeline Accident Report,” Report No. NTSB PB87-
916501, April 1987.
2. Len J. Krissa, J. Dewitt, T. Whited “Development and Application of a New Solution for
Mitigation of Carrier Pipe Corrosion inside Cased Pipeline Crossings”, NACE 2014
3. J. Hilleary, J. Dewitt, “Corrosion Rate Monitoring in Pipeline Casings”, NACE 2013