A study was made of factors affecting the corrosion of steel by oil-brine-H2S mixtures in order to determine what conditions need to be met in setting up a screening test procedure for possible corrosion inhibitors.

The initial rate of corrosion is dependent on the concentration of H2S. After the first day, the reaction becomes diffusion-controlled and is independent of H2S concentration over a wide range. At very high H2S concentrations, the corrosion rate actually decreases because of a change in the nature of the FeS coating formed on the steel.

The presence of sodium chloride prevents the formation of a protective FeS coating on steel, and the corrosion rate increases with increasing salt concentration, reaching a maximum at about 1 percent salt. Above this concentration, the rate decreases, possibly due to inhibition by the salt itself. 3.4.8

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Copyright 1959 by the National Association of Corrosion Engineers.
1959
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