Numerical study of elbow corrosion in the presence of sodium chloride, calcium chloride, naphthenic acids, and sulfur in crude oil

During the crude oil refining process, the piping system suffers a lot of corrosion damage at the elbows due to complex chemical reactions. This work aimed to investigate the effects of sodium chloride (NaCl), calcium chloride (CaCl2), naphthenic acids, and sulfur compounds, which can be responsible for corrosion in oil refineries due to the rheological and physical properties of crude oils. The corrosion occurs by a cracking operation that depends on the solid-fluid interaction, the temperature, and the crude oil nature. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has been used to predict the corrosion behavior based on the velocity profiles, shear stress, the friction factor, and the solid deposition rate of iron(II) chloride (FeCl2), iron(II) acetate (Fe(CH3COO)(2)), and iron sulfide (FeS) along the elbow. The numerical results proved that the corrosion locations are focused at certain regions, especially the elbow extrados wall outlet. The numerical results provide more solutions to avoid corrosion and improve the operational safety of the refinery.

Automated summary

Corrosion damage at the elbows in the piping system during crude oil refining process is influenced by sodium chloride, calcium chloride, naphthenic acids, and sulfur compounds. Computational fluid dynamics helps predict corrosion behavior and offers solutions to improve operational safety.