Effect of Corrosion Inhibitors on Multiphase Fluid Flow Containing Heavy Crude Oil

Abstract The high viscosity of heavy crude oil poses significant operational challenges for pipeline transport, affecting flow efficiency and increasing energy costs. For multiphase fluid containing heavy crudes—in addition to flow—further difficulties with poor partitioning of corrosion inhibitors into the brine phase may be encountered. This leads to a high uniform corrosion rate or even the occurrence of pitting of the pipelines. In this work, corrosion inhibitor partitioning tests, corrosion inhibition performance, rheological behavior studies, and interfacial property measurements were utilized to study the heavy crude, brine, and corrosion inhibitor system. The study found that the corrosion inhibitor—especially the amine surfactant active ingredient—functions also as a water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion destabilizer, effectively reducing the viscosity of heavy crude. When used for viscosity reduction, the corrosion inhibitor consumption will be larger than when used solely for corrosion inhibition purposes. These findings highlight the need to design integrated chemical solutions that simultaneously optimize corrosion control and flow assurance in heavy crude production systems.