SPECIAL FEATURE Discussing the Corrosivity Issue of Transporting Diluted Bitumen in Transmission Pipelines
Oil
Water
0.000
0.025
0.050
0.075 5% Water Cut
0.100 0.000
0.025
0.050
0.075 10% Water Cut
0.100
0.000
0.025
0.050
0.075 20% Water Cut
In this tomographical image, all of the water is entrained in the oil (the blue area) for the 5% water cut, resulting in lower electrical conductivity and less likelihood of pipe wall corrosion. A portion of the water (the red area) flows at the bottom of the pipe for the 10% and 20% water cut, result- ing in increased electrical conductivity and a higher likelihood of pipe wall corrosion. Image courtesy of the Institute for Corrosion and Multiphase Technology at Ohio University.
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potential failure mechanisms that exist for crude oil pipelines and determine if dilbit has a higher potential for product release through these mechanisms, Menzies says. Several claims raised in other reports that the committee will consider include: +WT]UJ][ 1VK ,]JTQV 7PQW IVL WVM WN \PM 6)+- XZM[MV\MZ[ 0M ILL[ \PI\ I _QLM ZIVOM WN factors are taken into consideration for cor- rosion management of crude oil pipelines, including the particular crude oil being transported, how the product was treated prior to transport, its properties, the char- IK\MZQ[\QK[ WN \PM XQXMTQVM \PM ÆW_ ZI\M M\K Before a crude oil, including dilbit, can be transported through a transmission pipeline, Q\ U][\ UMM\ [\IVLIZL XZWL]K\ [XMKQÅKI\QWV[ for water and sediment content as regulated Ja \PM = ; .MLMZIT -VMZOa :MO]TI\WZa +WUUQ[[QWV IVL +IVILI¼[ 6I\QWVIT -V-
ergy Board, which is generally a limit of 0.5% for sediment and water content. Most corrosion occurs by an electro-
chemical mechanism, which requires an electrolyte—a liquid that conducts electric- Q\a Ja \PM ÆW_ WN QWV[ VW\M[ 6)+- UMUJMZ ;IVSIZI 8IXI^QVI[IU .6)+- (1)
senior
ZM[MIZKP [KQMV\Q[\ _Q\P +IVUM\5)<-:1- )4; 0IUQT\WV 7V\IZQW +IVILI IVL IT[W I XZM[MV\MZ 1V I \ZIV[UQ[[QWV XQXMTQVM in the absence of water, crude oils are not corrosive because they are not an electrolyte and cannot support corrosion, Papavinasam [Ia[