Smart Corrosion Analysis & Integration with Control Systems

Abstract The paper presents the integration of a corrosion monitoring system with a Distributed Control System (DCS) to enhance process automation in an industrial environment. The oil and gas industry faces significant challenges due to corrosion, which affects asset integrity, safety, and profitability. The primary objective is to automate the detection and monitoring of metal loss and corrosion rates, aiming to improve operational efficiency and predictive maintenance in oil and gas facilities. The integrated approach incorporates direct corrosion monitoring techniques utilizing intrusive measurement techniques which includes corrosion coupons, online electrical resistance (ER/HRER) probes, and linear polarization resistance (LPR) probes installed at significant strategic locations at offshore and onshore gas wellheads. The communication and data transfer between corrosion probe transmitters, the Corrosion Monitoring System, and the DCS are managed using Modbus TCP/serial communication protocols. Data from multiple probes, installed at both offshore and onshore gas wellheads, are transmitted and analyzed in real-time for corrosion rates (mpy) and metal loss (mils). The CMS server collects the data and forwards it to the DCS to process corrosion data. Alarm thresholds are defined using the NACE SP 0775 qualitative categorization for carbon steel corrosion rates. The DCS-generated data aid in decision-making for actions like scraping, In-Line Inspection (ILI), and inhibitor injections. Additionally, by identifying areas where such accumulations are likely to occur or where there is a risk of internal blockages, this triggers a need for scraping. The DCS helps prioritize ILI tasks by identifying sections of the pipeline that are more susceptible to corrosion. The monitoring data can reveal areas with excessive wall loss, pitting, or other corrosion-induced damage, prompting operators to inspect those sections more frequently using ILI tools. The integration of corrosion monitoring system with DCS provides operators with real-time visibility of corrosion data, improving decision-making and enhancing the overall operational efficiency of the pipeline infrastructure.