Some aspects of corrosion and inhibitor steel protection under conditions of exposure to H2S-containing gas media

• R.K. Vagapov, R.R. Kantyukov, D.N. Zapevalov and K.A. Ibatullin

Gazprom VNIIGAZ LLC, Saint Petersburg 195112, Russia

Abstract: Hydrogen sulfide environments cause detrimental effects when contacting with carbon and/or low-alloy steels used in the creation of pipelines and equipment for hydrocarbon production and transportation. The majority of research on hydrogen sulfide corrosion has been conducted on liquid media transported through field oil pipelines. Corrosion studies under top-of-the-line condensation conditions are being conducted in the presence of hydrogen sulfide, which are among the most critical (high-risk) for field gas pipelines. The interaction of steel with wet hydrogen sulfide in a gas medium resulted in the formation of sulfur-containing deposits. X-ray diffraction was used to study the composition of polymorphic modifications of iron sulfides formed in the gas phase under top-of-the-line conditions. The hydrogen sulfide corrosion products obtained in laboratory simulation tests were compared with those formed under actual operating conditions of gas facilities. A comparison was made between the hydrogen sulfide corrosion products obtained in laboratory simulation tests and those formed under actual operating conditions of gas facilities. Scanning electron microscopy method was used to perform a comparative microstructure analysis of the hydrogen sulfide corrosion product layer formed in different phases of the investigated medium. Based on the results of the simulation tests conducted in hydrogen sulfide environments under various conditions (gas phase, liquid phase, and top-of-the-line), their corrosivity and the factors influencing it were estimated. The effect of low hydrogen sulfide content in a carbon dioxide environment was evaluated. Then the boundary hydrogen sulfide concentration leading to the initiation of the hydrogen sulfide internal corrosion mechanism in addition to the carbon dioxide one was determined.

Int. J. Corros. Scale Inhib., 2026, 15, no. 4, 301-318
doi: 10.17675/2305-6894-2026-15-4-12

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