Corrosion fouling during crude oil flow on a heated surface: Effects of temperature, shear and material of construction

Fouling in refinery equipment occurs predominantly by corrosion, chemical reaction, asphaltene precipitation or coke formation depending on prevalent operating conditions. Iron sulphide formation via a corrosion mechanism on metallic surfaces has been identified via past studies to precede coke formation. These studies however have been carried out at temperatures where coke formation blankets the sulphide layer (>350 °C). The present study reports results from experimental investigations conducted to understand crude oil corrosion fouling on a heated surface in a temperature range where this fouling mechanism is expected to be largely prevalent and not blanketed by other mechanisms (