International Journal of Multidisciplinary Futuristic Development

Corrosion Management and Material Selection for Crude Oil Export Equipment in Marine Environments: A Review

Paul Chibuike Obetta¹, Nwakamma Ninduwezuor-Ehiobu², Henry Chukwuemeka Olisakwe³

1. ¹
2. ²
3. ³

Abstract

Crude oil export equipment, including subsea export pipelines, single point mooring systems, floating and submarine hoses, loading arms, storage tanks, and associated topside facilities, operates in one of the most aggressive corrosion environments encountered in the petroleum industry. The simultaneous action of chloride-rich seawater on external surfaces and multiphase produced fluids containing carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphide, water, and microbial populations on internal surfaces creates a complex degradation regime that accounts for a substantial share of asset integrity failures, unplanned downtime, and environmental incidents in offshore terminals. This review consolidates the state of knowledge, as of 2020, on the corrosion mechanisms that govern the deterioration of crude oil export equipment in marine service, the materials engineering options available to designers, and the corrosion management strategies employed across the asset life cycle. Uniform, pitting, crevice, galvanic, erosion, microbiologically influenced, and environmentally assisted cracking mechanisms are examined in relation to the specific exposure zones of export infrastructure. Material selection is discussed for carbon and low alloy steels, martensitic, austenitic, duplex, and super duplex stainless steels, nickel-based alloys, clad and lined pipe, and non-metallic and composite materials, with reference to governing standards such as ISO 21457, NORSOK M-001, NACE MR0175/ISO 15156, and DNVGL recommended practices. Mitigation and control measures, including protective coatings, cathodic protection, chemical inhibition, corrosion allowance, and inspection and monitoring technologies, are reviewed alongside risk-based corrosion management frameworks. The review concludes by identifying persistent challenges, including microbiologically influenced corrosion prediction, preferential weld corrosion, ageing asset life extension, and the emerging role of digital monitoring and machine learning in corrosion management, and proposes directions for future research.

Keywords: marine corrosioncrude oil exportmaterial selectioncathodic protectioncorrosion inhibitorssubsea pipelinessingle point mooringcorrosion managementoffshore terminalsasset integrity

How to cite

Licensed under CC BY 4.0.