Energy expert and assurance provider DNV (Houston, Texas, USA) has joined ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company (Houston, Texas, USA) and Microbial Insights, Inc. (Knoxville, Tennessee, USA) in a joint industry project (JIP) to develop the next generation of microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) detection, monitoring, and mitigation technology.
With global costs of corrosion estimated at $2.5 trillion, the project aims to significantly enhance current MIC detection and monitoring methods.
“Working with ExxonMobil Upstream Research and Microbial Insights, we will unravel the most relevant MIC mechanisms prevalent in oil and gas operations to better understand their impact on corrosion,” says Richard S. Barnes, president of DNV’s North American energy systems business. “The focus of the JIP is to develop leading indicators which allows operators to develop and implement the right approach to address MIC in its earliest stages, protecting people and the environment while ensuring continuous, safe operations.”
Because it is difficult to detect and monitor, MIC poses a significant problem in numerous industries. As such, taking early action to mitigate its effects can protect the environment and safe operations by reducing the risk of costly pipeline failures, DNV explains.
Assembling MIC experts from across the industry, the project plans to create up to 1,200 datapoints of corrosion-to-biomarker correlations, generated on simulated pipelines with actual field waters and participant-selected service conditions.
Through biomarker technology, the team aims to develop methods, tools, and workflows to improve the reliable detection of MIC in oilfield operations. In this process, they plan to leverage advanced laboratory (bio)reactors and molecular analytical platforms that have been specifically developed for MIC biomarker discovery and KPI (key performance indicators) development.
“Corrosion is a global issue, and the work we have already undertaken at DNV to mitigate pipeline failure risk caused by MIC has given us a platform to further the advancement of early detection methods,” says Susmitha Purnima Kotu, DNV’s JIP lead. “The MIC biomarkers identified during this JIP could also be used to monitor and manage MIC for other applications including underground gas storage, offshore wind turbines, cooling water plants, water storage tanks, drinking water pipelines, ship hulls, fuel tanks, etc.”
Molecular methods for the detection and characterization of microorganisms in oilfield waters have emerged, DNV explains. However, the organization believes that data tends to poorly correlate to system integrity. As such, it cannot currently be used as a leading indicator for MIC.
Instead, MIC is most often diagnosed through analysis of metal-associated biofilms after damage has already occurred and other (abiotic) mechanisms have been excluded as root causes.
Consequently, MIC management remains a significant and potentially damaging challenge, with the industry continuing to suffer from instances of shortened service life infrastructure due to undetected and harmful microbial activity.
DNV says it intends to partner with six to 10 additional project participants with a history of MIC, or areas of particular interest, for use in laboratory simulation. This will assist in generating samples, which will aid in biomarker discovery.
Source: DNV, www.dnv.com.