Corrosion in Crude Distillation Overhead System: A Review

The consequence of corrosion in the oil and gas industry cannot be ignored due to the damage caused to equipment and structures, and the huge cost of controlling it. This review covers the corrosion of metallic structures, types of corrosion that occurs, and corrosion prevention and control in crude distillation overhead system. Some case studies on crude distillation overhead system, the economic cost of corrosion within the oil and gas industry and the factors responsible for corrosion in crude distillation overhead system are discussed. Corrosion has been a major challenge in the oil and gas industry, especially in the crude distillation overhead system where the metallic structure used for construction and equipment are majorly affected by corrosion. However, to minimize corrosion cost in oil and gas industry, application of corrosion inhibitors and appropriate material selection is of utmost importance as stated in this report. Materials selected are mostly affected by general corrosion or localized corrosion, depending on the metallurgical properties of the material used.