Vent Size Design Applied to Oil Field Corrosion Inhibitors

High temperature and pressure conditions occur very frequently in oil and gas operations. A variety of oil field chemicals, such as corrosion inhibitors, are commonly used. These chemicals are generally hydrocarbons, volatile, and vulnerable in heating conditions. This work evaluates the hazards associated with liquid and solid corrosion inhibitors applied in oil field. The Vent Sizing Package (VSP2) and the Advanced Reactive System Screening Tool (ARSST) are used to evaluate the temperature and pressure evolution for hazard assessment and vent sizing. ARSST is used for rapidly screening and characterizing the system. VSP2 continuously tracks pressure and adiabatic temperature which makes it a useful tool for measuring temperature and pressure rise rates. The studied corrosion inhibitors show two kinds of system behaviours: non-reactive vapour and non-reactive gassy. Vent design based on Leung’s, Fauske’s detailed, and Fauske’s simplified methods indicate that the corrosion inhibitors characterized as vapour systems require larger vent areas compared with those classified as gassy systems.