Abstract
Since reproduction of refinery operating conditions in the laboratory is difficult, most laboratory testing of refinery corrosion inhibitors has been unreliable. For this reason,, inhibitors for refinery use have been selected mainly on the basis of qualitative field trials. Such tests are expensive and subject to many independent, noncontrollable variables.
Frequently, failures of corrosion inhibitors to provide satisfactory protection can be traced to specific environmental factors. Therefore, new laboratory tests for commercial refinery corrosion inhibitors have been developed to simulate closely certain features of actual field conditions. Inhibitors have been evaluated for corrosion protection in light naphtha condensers, distillation towers, special high temperature locations, high velocity service, narrow crevices, and for impingement attack.
These test data show conclusively that no single corrosion inhibitor can be expected to provide satisfactory corrosion protection in all refinery locations. Plant results obtained with electrical resistance corrosion probes corroborate the laboratory evaluations. 5.8.1
