John C. Watts, Internal Pipeline Maintenance Co.
Corrosion of oil field production equipment is a serious problem which is many times not given the consideration it deserves. Every year, the oil industry pays a corrosion bill running into millions of dollars. In many cases, the fact that some of their sots can be eliminated is not realized, and others, the ravages of corrosion are not recognized. It is now possible in some cases to economically allay the reoccurring costs of maintenance of equipment, and in others to percent the actual destruction of the equipment. Several methods of providing corrosion protection have proved satisfactory for use in oil field equipment. Each one has its special uses. No one plan or method is the most economical for all conditions. One of the most important and most widely used is protective coatings. Use of these materials goes back to the early 1940"s. Where the proper coating is properly applied, protective coatings have given excellent results.