(04) UNDERSTANDING AND MITIGATING DOWNHOLE CORROSION AND WEAR FAILURES
A discussion on different types of corrosion and wear (and their associated mechanisms) will be followed by an overview of commercially available mitigation techniques including their practical field applications downhole. Commonly available information that can be used to determine exactly why downhole failures occur will be reviewed. The importance of using preferred life extension procedures to maximize the Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) and solve the root cause(s) of downhole failures are also covered. Finally, this paper includes a review of various metallurgical options, nonmetallic materials, chemical treatments, mechanical methods, liners and coatings currently used downhole focusing on the advantages and limitations of each product. Commonly accepted practices and myths about downhole corrosion and wear will be exposed.
The objective of this paper is to assist production, completion, artificial lift and enhanced recovery engineers in understanding and avoiding downhole corrosion and wear failures cost effectively.