Corrosivity of Niger Delta Environment for Corrosion Control and Management

Abstract It is difficult to simply bury a pipeline beneath the ground without facing corrosion challenges, yet it is important to do so for both the search for crude during drilling and pipe laying for oil and gas transportation. The oil and gas business has lost millions of dollars owing to corroded pipes, making it vital to evaluate the severity of environmental corrosion before making investment decisions. The Niger Delta, which is a hub of oil and gas activity in Nigeria, was the focus of this research. This research aims to reduce the impact of environmental corrosion on buried oil and gas assets by creating a corrosion map and model tailored to the environment in order to identify the level of corrosion severity at various points. 93-points soil resistivity data were collected using Vertical Electric Sounding (VES) and the Werner method, while average pH data from Rivers, Bayelsa, and Delta States were gathered from research within the Niger Delta. The extent of corrosivity in the environment was estimated using both the soil resistivity data and pH data. As an enhancement over the traditional method of employing ranges, a model was developed to determine the exact corrosion severity of the environment based on its soil resistivity. In addition, MATLAB was used to create a 3D planar curve and a map that could be used to quickly evaluate the corrosion severity of regions in the Niger Delta. This research paved the way for the continued development of corrosion severity maps unique to distinct oil and gas activity regions, as well as advancements in asset management for buried oil and gas assets.