The hydrocarbon industry has been no stranger to the difficulties of dealing with corrosion; but, with a good process of planning, design and execution it is possible to minimize its appearance, impact and consequences.
By Mariangie Navarro
The problem of corrosion in tanks for the storage of hydrocarbons is presented as a matter of special attention, not only because of the repercussions, in terms of quality, that derive from not storing this product in the ideal conditions, but also because of the costs it implies for companies dedicated to this field.
During the last edition of CubreCol Americas, some of the central conferences in the corrosion room revolved precisely around this theme. First of all, Daniel Guzmán, project manager at Gavar Ltda., spoke about the care that must be taken regarding storage tanks.
The second guest was Quilyam Casallas, president of Ascor (Colombian Corrosion Association), who delved into the panorama of corrosion in the oil industry in its different facets.
Planning and design
First of all, Guzmán explained that knowing the different types of problems that can occur during the storage process is essential to identify what measures can be implemented from the point of view of industrial coatings, what errors in the procedures can be avoided and what are the possible solutions once some level of corrosion has already occurred.
"In the petrochemical industry, hydrocarbon storage tanks present corrosion problems due to different causes, ranging from their design to their corrective maintenance stage, which results in risks to the integrity of the personnel that operates it and the equipment of the plant where it is located," said Guzmán.
The interviewee added that the possibility of operating accidents such as spills due to leaks, leaks and fires, are some of the reasons why an integral system in terms of coatings must be maintained.
Regarding the economic consequences for companies, he pointed out that the decommissioning of a tank entails losses by reducing the storage capacity and preventing production from being carried out at its maximum capacity.
In the same sense, Casallas said that "it is important to analyze the financial impact of the damage caused by corrosion and the actions that companies are developing to minimize ecological damage, as well as monetary losses when oil infrastructure is affected in storage and transportation areas."
It is also important to note that the experiences shared by these speakers can be applied in storage tanks in other industrial sectors, as many of the corrosion problems are similar.
Identify causes of corrosion
The first point to analyze is the identification of the main causes of corrosion in the oil sector, among which the lack of conceptualization of the project stands out, in terms of use; geographical location, useful life, cost and return on investment.
Other causes can be the shortcomings in the integral development of a new project during its construction phase, as well as the absence of experts in the field who can be part of the design and construction team.
Likewise, the lack of availability in the region of new technologies that would revolutionize the control and prevention of this type of problem, the low budgets that limit the implementation of prevention systems and the lack of preventive maintenance programs, can also cause errors.
But, just as the most common difficulties were mentioned, the speaker also addressed possible solutions. Among them, he pointed out and emphasized the training of professionals who become key pieces for the development of projects. Also in the importance of promoting that corrosion experts are indispensable to integrate a work team in phases of design, construction and maintenance of infrastructure in the oil sector.
In the same way, he said that it is necessary to import or develop new technologies so that the oil sector has more efficient alternatives, as well as to create among the owners the awareness that by investing in these solutions they will perceive great benefits, since they preserve the integrity of the facilities, reduce maintenance costs and minimize the cessation of operations of the built infrastructure.
Learning from mistakes
As for the mistakes that are made when selecting and applying anticorrosive systems in this sector, Guzmán explained that before starting any project it is essential to know several factors, among them what type of equipment is going to be protected, how is the environment and agents to which it will be exposed and then enter to design and choose the most appropriate anticorrosive system according to those parameters.
"Once the protection system has been conceptualized, we can enter to select the anticorrosive system, taking into account not making mistakes such as ignorance of the agents to which the equipment will be exposed, not having defined the useful life of this or selecting a system only for the cost", Guzman said.
In addition to the above, the gavar Ltda. official explained that the incorrect use of the products, by not taking into account the technical sheets and instructions of the manufacturer, the selection of an inappropriate application methodology, and the failure to carry out the quality assurance process, are other failures that are committed during the application.
One notation that should stand out is the fact that anti-corrosion applications should vary depending on the type of crude oil being stored. "The protection systems that are applied inside tanks vary according to the physical-chemical composition. Depending on the elements present in the crude oil such as sulfur, water, among others, a protection system capable of resisting this permanent exposure is selected, as is also relevant the service temperature of the equipment, "explained Guzmán.
"In the case of heavy crudes there are varieties such as castile crude, rubiales crude, heavy crude, etc., and each one is characterized by a specific content of chemical components and water content that make it particular so that they are controlled with a specific anti-corrosion protection system," he said.
Casallas agrees with this analysis, who complements the information as follows: "Each type of crude oil generates very diverse exposure conditions, so it is essential to characterize it and assess its impact on the degradation of the metal surface that comes into contact with the fluid."
And he added that "the selection of the coating is directly related to these characteristics, so you must have the help of an expert professional to find the best solution."
Finally, Casallas stressed that both in this sector and in any other industrial activity, corrosion has a great impact as it is a problem that affects the normal functioning of a given process, so it is important to identify it, diagnose it with research methods and generate alternative solutions that are viable both technically and financially.
