26 Experience and Future Application of the RCPTM Method to Prevent Internal Corrosion of Stainless Steel Sea Water Piping

Systems*
R. JOHNSEN, T. SOLEM, P. 0.GARTLAND, G. MOLDESTAD and J. M. DRUGLI+
CorrOcean ASA, Teglgaarden, N-7485 Trondheim, Norway +SINTEFMaterials Technology, N-7465 Trondheim, Norway

ABSTRACT Internal cathodic protection by resistor controlled anodes -Resistor controlled Cathodic Protection (RCP)-was introduced in 1991 as an alternative method for the prevention of localised corrosion of sea water transportation systems. More than fifteen hundred RCP anodes have been installed in sea water piping systems made from highly alloyed stainless steel, which had suffered from corrosion. This paper describes some of the installations including experiences so far. In addition the experience and possible future use of AISI 316L Stainless steel combined with RCP anodes is described.

1. Introduction
During the early 1980s high alloy stainless steels like austenitic steels with about 6% molybdenum (called 6Mo-steel) and duplex stainless steels with 25% Cr (called super duplex) were widely used in sea water systems in connection with offshore oil and gas production. Laboratory tests showed that these high alloy stainless steel qualities were corrosion-resistant in chlorinated sea water at temperatures up to about 30C. However, the experience from field installations has shown that the use of these alloys has not been entirely without problems [1,2]. As a result, titanium has been used to a great extent in sea water systems in recent years. Unfortunately, this solution can be rather costly. At the same time, the trend has been to optimise lifetime cost of equipment by using more standardised and inexpensive materials. The AISI 316L stainless steel is a well known material, but it suffers from corrosion in sea water and corrosion protection has to be applied. Cathodic protection by sacrificial anodes has been used for decades to stop corrosion of metals in corrosive environments. However, conventional cathodic protection with sacrificial anodes results in unacceptable anode consumption which may reduce the potential cost savings. In 1991CorrOcean in cooperation with SINTEF Materials Technology introduced a new method for internal cathodic protection of piping systems called RCP *Basedin a presentation made at EUROCORR '97

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Resistor controlled Cathodic Protection. The method is based on a patent claim [3] Method and arrangement to hinder local corrosion and galvanic corrosion in connection with stainless steels (SS) and other passive materials. During the period 1995to 1999 more than fifteen hundred RCP anodes have been installed to prevent localised corrosion in chlorinated sea water systems made from high alloy stainless steel. Also in combination with RCP, AISI 316L can replace more expensive alloys and the total costs can be significantly reduced. This paper will describe the experience with RCP from some of the high alloy stainless steel systems and some onshore and offshore AISI 316L piping systems protected with sacrificial anodes. Future application of AISI 316L in chlorinated sea water systems will be discussed.

2. The RCP Principle

The RCP is a means to prevent local corrosion of stainless steels or other passive alloys in piping systems with various types of saline waters, in which a critical combination of the electrochemicalpotential and the temperature that cause corrosion, may be exceeded. The basic principle of the method is to apply cathodic protection to a stainless steel pipe system using a resistor in series with the anode to control both the potential on the stainless steel and the anode output. The principle is shown schematically in Chapter 25, Fig. 4 p.279. The method is further based on the observation that the protection potential for the prevention of localised corrosion on stainless steel is much more positive than the typical potentials of sacrificial anodes. The voltage drop over the resistor is therefore designed to obtain sufficient but not excessive negative polarisation of the stainless steel. The resistor control thus keeps the stainless steel in a protective potential range, where the current requirements are very small in many saline environments, e.g. in chlorinated sea water, in produced water from the oil and gas production and in natural sea water above 3040C (geographical variations). To achieve the favourable low current requirements the sea water must be free from biological activity. Due to the very low current requirements in the relevant potential range, a single anode can protect large areas of a pipe system at a very low anode consumption rate. General design rules for resistor controlled cathodic protection systems are described in a separate paper [ ] 4. In order to handle all aspects of a design of an RCP system a special computer program, called RCPSim, has been developed. The program has a core that calculates the potential variation, the current density distribution, anode consumption rates and anode resistor values of the entire sea water system in one fully integrated model. The calculations are based on the Finite Difference Method and complex boundary conditions are handled by linearisation and iteration in the same way as for GALVKORR that has been described in an earlier paper [ ] In contrast to the latter 5. program, RCPSim can handle complex pipe networks with pipe branches of different diameters, heat exchangers, filters, valves and pumps as one integrated model.

Expevience and Application of the RCPTLf Method to Prevent Internal Corrosion 3. Examples of the Application of the RCP Principle
3.1. Sea Water Cooling System of 6Mo Stainless Steel with Temperature up to 7OoC

285

The sea water cooling system on the A/S Norske Shell operated Draugen platform, is made from 6Mo stainless steel. The max. design temperature was 30C. Shortly after start-up temperatures up to 70Cwere measured on the output lines of the heat exchangers. The high temperature resulted in localised weld and crevice corrosion followed by leakages after 3-6 months of operation in 1994 [6]. After seeking alternative solutions, the management decided to install ten RCP anodes to halt the corrosion and prevent further damages. This solution was based on Life Cycle Cost (LCC) analysis with alternative solutions. The RCP anodes were installed in February 1995. Some of the anodes are continuously monitored by measuring the current output, while others are manually measured once a month. Based on the measured values and inspection, the system works in accordance with the design. After installation of the RCP anodes no new leakages have been observed in the The system even though the temperature of the sea water is up to 70C. anodes have been visually examined. The consumption rate was according to the design.
3.2. Protection of Complete Sea Water Systems of 6Mo Stainless Steel on Two

Platforms in Norway
Shortly after start up of the sea water system on a platform operated in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea, crevice corrosion was observed on many flanges made from 6Mo. The corrosion was seen both in the firewater part section with temperatures down to 10C and the cooling water part with temperatures up to 30C. The design lifetime of the platform was 30 years. After seeking alternative solutions for the complete sea water piping system, including replacement with titanium or GRP,it was decided that the most attractive solution was to install a cathodic protection system based on RCP anodes. Since the platform was already in operation, two important design requirements were: reduce the number of site welds to a minimum by using existing anode access possibilities like blind flanges and drain points, and design life of the anodes to be 30 years. A total of 280 resistor controlled anodes was installed on the platform. Less than thirty new access flanges had to be welded to the pipe. The field operator was in the process of finalising a second platform for the same field. The sea water system had been made from the same 6Mo-material. To prevent the same corrosion on this pipework, the operator also decided to install RCP anodes in the sea water system on this platform. More than 130 RCP anodes with blind flanges, varying from 2 4 in. were installed on this platform.

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The decision to install resistor controlled anodes instead of replacing the piping system with titanium or GRP was taken based on LCC. The total investment cost for the resistor controlled anodes, including design, manufacturing, offshore installation and commissioning for the two platforms was close to $2.5 million. The cost for alternative solutions has been estimated to be 5-10 times higher. The anodes were installed in the system in June-August 1996. Monitored current output values from some of the anodes are in accordance with the design. Figure 1 shows a photograph of a 3 in. RCP anode.
3.3. Experience from Cathodic Protection of Onshore AISI 316 Sea Water Piping System

During 1982 three different companies contacted the Corrosion Centre, SINTEF following corrosion problems with sea water piping systems made from AISI 316. All the companies operated onshore piping systems transporting natural sea water for cooling purposes. The following environmental conditions were valid for the systems: temperature: 30C; max. velocity: 1.5 ms-l; electrolyte: natural sea water without chlorination. The corrosion was discovered after less than three months in operation and was mainly concentrated in welds - both heat affected zone and weld material. Pits penetrating 3 mm wall thickness were seen. The Corrosion Centre, SINTEF proposed to cathodically protect the internal of the pipe with sacrificial anodes made from either aluminium or zinc. By using this method the original piping system could be used. Holes in the piping systems had to be repaired by welding before installation of the anodes.

Fig. 1 3 in. RCP anodes before installation in the piping system.

Experience and Application of the X U T b fMethod to Prevent Internal Corrosion

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The current density requirements and the protection potential for AISI 316 in the actual environment were defined based on available in-house data. To do the detail design including defining the anode size, resistor value and anode positioning the GALVKORR program was used. To obtain an optimised protection system the following protection level was used: protection potential (max. potential): -200 mV (SCE), and lowest acceptable potential: -600 mV (SCE). The reason for selecting a lowest potential of -600 mV (SCE) was to reduce the anode consumption. Since the anode material (aluminium or zinc) has a potential in the region -1030 to -1050 mV (SCE), the anode had to be insulated from the pipe wall and connected through a wire with a resistor. This design was the precursor to RCP. The same solution was used for all three installations.
3.4. Experience from the Use

The first year after installation the three installations were followed up regularly. By measuring the voltage drop across the resistor (which had a constant, known value) the current output could be defined. In addition some reference electrodes were installed to be able to control the protection potential at certain critical regions. The measured data were in accordance with the design values. No corrosion was seen in piping systems after the anodes were installed. For one of the systems measurements of the current drop across the resistors for all the anodes had been made once a year from the installation until 1990. During this period the current density requirement has been reduced. This is probably due to a build up of a protection layer on the surface (the surface needs less current density to be protected). Figure 2 shows the change in the voltage drop for six anodes. In the same period no new leakage had been observed. Based on the voltage drop the estimated lifetime of the anodes varied from 8-17 years. After 1990 there have not been any regular measurements of the current delivery from the anodes. However, according to information from the maintenance department of the operating companies no leakages or operational problems have been seen with hs the protection system. Measurements taken in 1997have confirmed ti situation (Fig. 2).
3.5. Experience from Cathodic Protection of Offshore AISI 316 Sea water Piping Systems

Two new Floating Production and Storage Offshore Vessels (FPSO) set in operation in 1998have sea water and fire water systems made from AISI 316 with RCP anodes for cathodic protection. The two systems are very similar but with different antifouling devices. The following design conditions were valid for the systems:

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3.5.1. Case 1 The installation was planned to use the existing biofouling unit with pure copper addition to the sea water. The design was based on a current density requirement corresponding to pure chlorination of 1 ppm. Based on this chlorination level the RCP anode requirement was found to be 53 anodes. Literature studies revealed that copper addition was not sufficient as anti-fouling treatment to prevent biofilm formation [7], and the operator was notified of this before the RCP anodes were installed. It was decided to install a batch-dosing unit to secure sufficient chlorination to allow the use of the RCP anodes.

3.5.2. Case 2 The installation was planned to use an electrochlorinationunit with copper electrodes, which gives 5 ppb copper and 50 ppb chlorine in the sea water. This type of antifouling unit was found in testing to be as efficient as a pure chlorine treatment of 200 ppb [8]. Based on this chlorination level, 73 RCP anodes were needed for corrosion protection.
3.6. Experiences from the Use

During commissioning and start-up of the Case 1 installation, some problem with the chlorination of the system arose. The system was running without chlorination for about 6 months. This period resulted in corrosion in parts of the system. After start up of the chlorination unit no further corrosion has been observed. A more detailed description of this RCP installation has been given elsewhere [9]. Potential drop (mV)

400
350 300

AnodeB AnodeB Anode N * Anode0 Anode P

+

--

250 200
150

100
50
"

01.01.83

01.01.85

01.01.87

01.01.89

01.01.91

01.01.95

01.01.97

Date

Fig. 2 Voltage measurements for anodes in AIS1 31 6 piping system.

Experience and Application of the R C P 1Method to Prevent Infernal Corrosion

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The first period of commissioning and start-up of the Case 2 installation was accomplished with the anti-fouling unit running only with minor down-periods. In spite of this the potential drop measurements of the anodes was increasing, indicating bioactivity in the system. A period of batch dosing (800 ppb) of chlorine confirmed bioactivity, as the potential drop measurements decreased to the expected design value. When restarting the copper-chlorine system the potential drop measurements rose to a higher level, and slightly increased. Figure 3 shows the potential drop measurements from the Case 2 installation. Insufficient chlorination caused major corrosion problems in both the fire water and sea water system. The system is now being batch dosed with extra chlorine, and it is planned to install a pure chlorination system to replace the electrochlorination system based on the experiences from the Case 1installation. The system will be redesigned based on the new chlorination system to increase the conservatism in design.

4. Future Possibilities for AISI 316 in Sea Water Systems

During recent years, the demands and trends in the offshore industry have been to apply more standardised and cheaper materials to reduce the cost. As mentioned, in combination with cathodic protection AISI 316 can be applied as a technical and economical favourable solution. With the present experience, it is possible to apply AISI 316 with RCP anodes in complete sea water piping systems. However, the system operator needs to be aware of the sensitivity of the system. The experiences with AISI 316 and RCP confirms that the AISI 316 itself is not a corrosion resistant material in saline water, and that divagation from the functional requirements may causes trouble. Hence, by using a proper RCP design based on the real process and piping parameters, a sea water piping system will be protected as long as the anodes are in operation and sufficient chlorination is secured. Special precautions must be taken during commissioning and shut down periods, etc. In sea water piping systems some of the most vital components can be rather expensive. This is the case for valves and pumps. The cost for these components in titanium, especially for large dimensions, is very high due to the limited number of suppliers and special requirements for the casting process. Utilisation of standard equipment in AISI 316 combined with RCP will reduce the costs dramatically. With a proper designed system, LCC analyses shows that a solution with a low cost alloy combined with a RCP anode will be the best solution. In future constructions the use of composite piping materials may be increasing. However, valves, pumps etc. have still to be in metallic materials. In this case, enhanced protection of AISI 316 by RCP will still be achieved since no current drains to the composite material.

5. Conclusions
1, Resistor controlled Cathodic Protection (RCP)has proved its effectiveness in stopping internal corrosion in piping systems made from high-alloy 6Mo- or 25'/0Cr stainless steel transporting chlorinated sea water. After five years in

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RCP anode in AIS1 316 system
ann
"1"

800
700
v

. .

Cu +CI
b A

Baron CI

5,000 Cu + 50 ppa CI

0 a

200-:
100
"

-.

Fig. 3Potential drop measurements of anode in A I S I 31 6 piping system with electrochlorination antifouling treatment (5 ppb C u and 50 ppb Cl), and batch dosing of hypochlorite.

operation no new corrosion has been observed in sea water piping systems with RCP, even with temperatures up to 70C. Even if internal cathodic protection was not called RCP in 1982, the principle is the same; installing a sacrificial anode inside a pipe connected to the pipe wall through a resistor with a defined value. The experience from more than 15years in service shows that AISI 316 can be used for sea water piping systems if a proper internal cathodic protection system is installed.

By combining AISI 316L and RCP, cost evaluations have shown that this may be an attractive solution compared to the use of high alloy stainless steel or titanium. Experience so far have shown that the use of AISI 316 with RCP anodes requires extensive control of the anti-fouling process, and special precautions during commissioning, start up and shut down periods.

RCP anodes cannot be used together with electrochlorinationanti-fouling units with 5 ppb cupper and 50 ppb chlorine generation. The minimum residual chlorine level must be >loo-200 ppb.

References
1.R. Johnsen, "Corrosion failures in seawater piping systems offshore", in Int. Symp. on Marine

and Microbial Corrosion, EFC Event No. 184, Stockholm, September 1991.

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2. R. Mollan, SnorreProject - Materials Engineering Experience, Kursdagene, NTH (Norway), January 1993. 3. Patent claim No. 91.0093 from SINTEF Method and arrangement to hinder local corrosion and galvanic corrosion in connection with stainless steels (SS) and other passive materials. 4. R. Johnsen, P. 0.Gartland, J. M. Drugli and T. Rogne, How to prevent galvanic corrosion in sea water piping systems. Corrosion 96, Paper No. 496, NACE International, Houston, TX, USA, 1996. 5 . P 0.Gartland and J. M. Drugli, Methods for evaluating and prevention of local and galvanic . corrosion in chlorinated seawater pipelines. Corrosion 92, Paper No. 408, NACE International, Houston, TX, USA, 1992. 6. R. Johnsen, E. Ommedal and I. H. Hollen, Three years experience from the sea water system on the Draugen platform. Corrosion 97, Paper No. 420, NACE International, Houston, TX, USA, 1997. 7 .E. E. Williams, The BFCC antifouling and corrosion control system, Techdoc. 5,BFCC Ltd. 8. E. E. Williams, B. Knox-Holmes, M. F. Diprose and Y. G. Mussalli, A new chlorine and copper injection technique for biofouling control, presented at the Jt. ASME/IEEE Power Generation Conf., Philadelphia, Pa, USA, Sept. 1988. . 9. S. Valen, R. Johnsen, P 0.Gartland and J. M. Drugli, Sea water piping systems designed with AIS1 316 and RCP anodes. Corrosion 99, Paper No. 321, NACE International, Houston, Tx, USA, 1999.