Summary
In 2003, Apache became the operator of the Forties Field. The field has now
been in operation for 33 years and much of the infield pipeline system has
exceeded its original design life of 20–25 years. Apache intends to continue
production in the Forties Field for, potentially, in excess of a further 20
years. With that in mind, they have identified numerous issues with respect to
corrosion management of the infield pipeline system. Since late 2006, the
Forties Field infield pipeline corrosion and integrity management has been
carried out by IONIK Consulting/JP Kenny Caledonia Ltd. Working closely with
Apache, the infield pipeline system has been reviewed; a number of issues have
been assessed and quantified; and practices with respect to corrosion
management, corrosion monitoring, and inspection have been implemented. This
document examines the issues identified, the corrosion management strategy put
in place, and the inspection actions undertaken. Examples of issues identified
with respect to corrosion management systems include a requirement for a
dedicated pipeline corrosion management strategy, pipeline corrosion modeling,
a corrosion risk assessment of the pipeline system, a review of corrosion
inhibition and pigging, and a review of key performance indicators with
emphasis on pipeline management. Specific corrosion issues identified include
anode depletion, preferential weld corrosion, localized corrosion, and 6
o'clock corrosion. Examples of other factors identified have been potential
risks from microbial and underdeposit corrosion caused by low flow rates. This
publication provides an overview of these issues and the implementation of
solutions, alongside changes to items such as documentation and modification of
existing procedures, risk assessment, corrosion management, and the
implementation of an intelligent pigging program.
© 2009. Society of Petroleum Engineers
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History
- Original manuscript received:
12 March 2008
- Meeting paper published:
27 May 2008
- Revised manuscript received:
15 September 2008
- Manuscript approved:
18 September 2008
- Published online:
5 March 2009
- Version of record:
5 March 2009
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