Management of Corrosion in Shale Development
Bruce Craig
MetCorr
100 Fillmore St.
Denver, CO 80206
David Blumer
BlumCorr
5624 E. 40
th
Avenue
Anchorage, OK 99504
Sytze Huizinga, David Young, Marc Singer
Institute for Corrosion and Multiphase Technology
Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Ohio University
342 West State Street,
Athens, OH 45701
ABSTRACT
In recent years, production of oil and gas from shale formations has multiplied and now contributes
significantly to oil and gas supply. This type of unconventional production differs from historical
conventional approaches, with far reaching consequences for asset integrity management. The
present paper outlines corrosion threats associated with shale development, including acidizing,
fracing, flowback, CO2 and H2S in produced fluids and artificial lift. Usually little detailed
information about corrosive exposure is available upfront. The production mode contributes to
complex and highly variable environmental conditions. Corrosion cracking and weight loss
corrosion of well completion materials are known to have occurred. Whereas classical asset
integrity management is usually rolled out over many years, the typical timescale in shale
production ranges from just months to a few years, driving low-cost, quick earn-back scenarios.
This paper discussed the consequences for materials selection and corrosion control.
Keywords: Shale, unconventional, fracing, corrosion control, integrity management, material
selection
INTRODUCTION
The United States has abundant natural gas resources that play a major role supplying energy to
homes and businesses. Data for 2017 collected by the U.S. Energy Information Administration
(EIA) showed that petroleum and natural gas supplies approximately 66% of the nation’s energy,
with natural gas alone delivering about 26%.
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Shale gas resources extend across the lower 48
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Paper No.
13189
©2019 by NACE International.
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