PEFTEC PEFTEC

PEFTEC - Abstract


Abstract Title: Determination of Accelerated Iron Corrosion in Petroleum Products: A Comparative Study
Abstract Type: Poster
Session Choice: Standards & Quality Assurance
Presenter Name: Dr Raj Shah
Co-authors:Mr Eric Cervino
Company/Organisation: Koehler Instrument Company, Inc
Country: United States

Abstract Information :

The muddled composition of some petroleum products contain elements that cause corrosion on interior surfaces, leading to the degeneration of pipelines and formation of detrimental deposits inside engines. The method used for analyzing the corrosive properties of gasoline and distillate fuels in preparation for transport through a pipeline was originally developed by the National Association of Corrosion Engineers. The NACE TM0172 test method requires four hours to produce results and demands a 300mL sample of the product in question. While this test method's success has served the industry well for many years, key stakeholders began expressing a profound interest for an improvement exhibiting a faster turnaround and smaller sample size requirement to promote better repeatability and reliability.

Working closely with key refineries around the country and executing numerous extensive laboratory trial and error experiments has all lead to a faster, easier, and more reliable test method. The new ASTM test method, ASTM D7548 for Determination of Accelerated Iron Corrosion in Petroleum Products is the evolution in state of the art laboratory corrosion measurement procedures. Its revolutionary characteristics touch upon some engineering concerns expressed by industry leaders regarding the accelerated corrosion test methods of the past.

The new method only requires a 50mL sample and less than a fourth of time to complete testing in comparison to the NACE TM0172 and ASTM D665 accelerated corrosion test methods. This less demanding laboratory setup will save the industry significant time when testing to determine the corrosive qualities of various petroleum products. When applied to pipeline transfer station operations- where a quick QC turnaround time is absolutely critical- the ASTM D7548 test method becomes an adequate substitute for assurance.

Several trials were conducted to accurately test the effectiveness and quality of ASTM D7548 in comparison to the previous standard engineered by NACE. The setup is designed to reveal any biases between the two test methods and focuses on comparative attributes including variability, precision, and indistinguishability. The associated data and results are discussed in the study.