Investigation on the flow-induced corrosion and degradation behavior of underground J55 pipe in a water production well in the Athabasca oil sands reservoir

The corrosion behavior of J55 carbon steel pipe was investigated in a water production well environment in the Athabasca oil sands reservoir. The corrosion morphologies and the chemical compositions of corrosion products were examined by surface analysis techniques. The protection performance of the formed corrosion scales was evaluated using electrochemical measurements. The results show that severe erosion corrosion occurs on the inner wall of the pipe and causes a significant thinning, which is the dominant reason for the pipe failure. Likewise, the failure of the thread zone is originated from the severe corrosion of inner wall as well. Localized corrosion of carbon steel occurs in the welding zone because of the galvanic effect between stainless steel and carbon steel. Furthermore, the distributions of corrosion products on the inner wall are notably affected by the flow. Dense and thick Ca-containing corrosion scales act as a physical barrier layer and prevent the steel from further corrosion, whereas localized corrosion occurs in the regions with loose and thin corrosion scales.