Characterization of Corrosion Product Layers from CO₂ Corrosion of 13Cr Stainless Steel in Simulated Oilfield Solution

The influence of temperature and flow rate on the characterization and mechanisms of corrosion product layers from CO₂ corrosion of 13Cr stainless steel was carried out in simulated oilfield solution. Cyclic potentiodynamic polarization method as well as weight loss tests in autoclave were utilized to investigate pitting corrosion behavior at various temperatures. Weight loss tests were performed at 100 and 160 °C under dynamic and static flow conditions. At the same time, the significant pitting parameters such as E _corr, E _pit, E _pp, ∆E, and I _pass in cyclic polarization curves at various temperatures were analyzed and compared for revealing the pitting behavior of 13Cr stainless steel. The surface measurement techniques such as SEM, XRD, and XPS were used to detect the corrosion product layers. The results showed that both temperature and flow rate had significant effects on characterization of corrosion product layers or passive films formed on 13Cr stainless steel in CO₂ corrosion system. At high temperature, lots of pits were formed at the localized corrosion areas of metal surfaces. Corrosion rates under the condition of 5 m/s were higher than those under the static condition regardless of the test temperatures.