Pilot study on the corrosion monitoring and control of the crude oil refining system by thin layer activation (TLA) technique

This report represents a pilot study on application of Ta technique for measurement monitoring the corrosion rates occurring in the refinery crude oil overhead crude oil system at the Bangchak Petroleum Co., Ltd. in Thailand during mid 1999 to mid 2000. TLA coupons containing very low activity of 56Co produced by the accelerator was attached to the used electrical resistance probe inserted into production system at the test position. Gamma intensity of 56Co was routinely monitored at external cladding and corrosion rates calculated in comparison with the non corroded standard after decay correction. From the study, TLA technique provides accurate corrosion rates less than 75 mm/year as compared to the standard Electrical Resistance Probes (ERP) technique. (author)