Corrosion of carbon steel by bacteria from North Sea offshore seawater injection systems: Laboratory investigation Marko Stipaničev, Florin Turcu, Loïc Esnault, Omar Rosas, Régine Basséguy, Magdalena Sztyler, Iwona B. Beech To cite this version: Marko Stipaničev, Florin Turcu, Loïc Esnault, Omar Rosas, Régine Basséguy, et al.. Corrosion of carbon steel by bacteria from North Sea offshore seawater injection systems: Laboratory investigation. Bioelectrochemistry, Elsevier, 2014, 97, pp.76-88. 10.1016/j.bioelechem.2013.09.006. hal-01913355 HAL Id: hal-01913355 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01913355 Submitted on 6 Nov 2018 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. OATAO is an open access repository that collects the work of Toulouse researchers and makes it freely available over the web where possible This is an author’s version published in: http://oatao.univ-toulouse.fr/20292 Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioelechem.2013.09.006 To cite this version: Stipaničev, Marko and Turcu, Florin and Esnault, Loïc and Rosas, Omar and Basséguy, Régine and Sztyler, Magdalena and Beech, Iwona B. Corrosion of carbon steel by bacteria from North Sea offshore seawater injection systems: Laboratory investigation. (2014) Bioelectrochemistry, 97. 76-88. ISSN 1567-5394 Any correspondence concerning this service should be sent to the repository administrator: [email protected] Corrosion of carbon steel by bacteria from North Sea offshore seawater injection systems: Laboratory investigation ,b, b b, Marko Stipanicev a *, Florin Turcu a, Loïc Esnault a, Omar Rosas , Régine Basseguy **, c c,d Magdalena Sztyler , Iwona B. Beech • Det Norske Veritos,Johan Berentsens vei 109-111, 5163Laksevdg. Bergen,Norway b Laboratoire de Génie Chimique CNRS-INPT, Université de Toulouse,4 Allée Emile Monso, 31030 Toulouse, France c School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sdences, Universityof Portsmouth, Michael's Building, WhiteSwan Road, PortsmouthP01 2DT. UK a Department of Microbiologyand Plant Biology, University of Oklahoma, 770 VanVleet Oval Norman, OK, USA ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Influence of sulfidogenicbacteria, froma North Sea seawater injectionsystem, on the corrosion of S235JR carbon Keywords: steel was studied in a flow bioreactor; operating anaerobically for 100 days with either inoculated or filtrated Seawater injection seawater. Deposits formed on steel placed in reactors contained magnesium and calcium minerais plus iron Carbon steel sulfide. The dominant biofilm-forming organism was an anaerobic bacterium, genus Caminicella, known to Corrosion produce hydrogen sulfide andcarbon dioxide. Open Circuit Potentials (OCP) of steel in the reactors was, fornear­ Bacterium ly the entire test duration, in the range -800<E(OCP)/mV (vs. SCE)< -700. Generally, the overall corrosion rate, expressed as 1/(Rp/O), was lower in the inoculated seawater though they varied significantly on bath reactors. Initial and final corrosion rates were virtually identical, narnely initial 1/(R /0) 2 x 10-6 ± 5 x 10-7 and 5 6 p = final1/(R p/0) 1.1 x 10- ± 2.5 x 1o- • Measured data, including electrochemical noise transients and statisti­ cal parameters= ( 0.05 < Localized Index< 1; -5 < Skewness< -5; Kurtosis >45), suggested pitting on steel sampi es within the inoculated environment However, the actual degree of corrosion could neither be directly correlated with the electrochemical data and nor with the steel corrosion in the filtratedseawater environment. Further laboratory tests are thought to clarifythe noticed apparent discrepancies. 1. Introduction and -Oxidizing Bacteria (!RB and JOB respectively), Manganese­ Oxidizing Bacteria (MOB), carbon dioxide reducing bacteria [3] and The economic consequences of corrosion of iron and its alloys in methanogenic archaea have been associated with marine corrosion various industrial sectors, induding oil and gas operations, are well doc­ failures[10-12] . umented [ 1-3 ]. Undisputedly, corrosion causes considerable damage to It is now acknowledged that microbial metabolic activity, which marine steel infrastructure, such as offshore oil installations and pipe­ depends on the availability of nutrients and of suitable electron line systems, leading to revenue lasses. It has been estimated that nearly donors and acceptors, can influence electrochemical processes on 20% of the total corrosion cost is due to Microbially Influenced Corrosion steel surfaces, therefore, plays an important raie in the processes (MIC) [3,4]. MIC is oftenseen as pitting attack that is generally associat­ governing MIC [13,14]. Indeed, it has been reported that differences ed with the presence of surface-associated microbial communities in metabolic activities within biofilms established under identical embedded in a bioinorganic matrix, referred to as biofilm [5]. In bath conditions can result in dissimilar corrosion rates [4]. It is also recog­ natural habitats and man-made systems, biofilms implicated in corro­ nized that biofilmformation and associated MIC damage are depen­ sion failures, comprise diverse microbial genera and species that often dent on the physical and chemical conditions of a given environment exhibit synergistic and synthropic behavior [6,7]. Key microorganisms [15]. For example, temperature, pH, pressure, light radiation, oxygen are phylogenetically diverse Sulfide-Producing Prokaryotes (SPP) of content, salinity and redox potential will influence the nature and which some, but not ail, represent Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria (SRB) metabolic activity of a bacterial community [16], thus governing and Archaea (SRA), i.e. Sulfate-Reducing Prokaryotes (SRP) [8,9]. the potential risk of MIC. It is noteworthy that conditions at surfaces In addition to SPP, Sulfur-Oxidizing Bacteria (SOB), Iron-Reducing may differsignificantly from those in bulk liquid; forexample, anaer­ obic niches may exist within biofilmin a fullyoxygenated system or oxygen may be formedin an anoxie environment due to bacterially­ • Correspondence to: M. Stipanicev, Det Norske Veritas, Johan Berentsens vei 109-111, mediated disproportionation reactions [ 17-19]. 5163 Laksevàg. Bergen, Norway. Further, fluid flow directly impacts mass transfer and biofilm ** Corresponding author. formation [20,21] . High shear stress is likely to decrease microbial https://.doi.org/10.1016/j.bioelechem.2013.09.006 cell attachment and may even cause detachment of an established (Presens, Germany), one nitrogen gas inlet (99.999% purity,Yarapraxiar, biofilm [21-23]. Norway), one gas outlet and a pH electrode (pH-meter HI-9125N, Importantly, the chemical composition and microstructure of the Hanna Norden AB, Sweden). The lid also incorporates an in-house fitted construction materials determine their susceptibility to both abiotic sampling point and a fluid injectionsystem. The vesse! is also equipped corrosion and MIC [24,25] . Carbon steel is a major alloy used in offshore with a heating unit (ISOPAD IP-DASI®, Tyco, USA) and a thermostat oil extraction and transport systems, including Sea-Water Injection (Raychem® AT-TS-14, Tyco Thermal Con trois, USA). Systems (SW!Ss). During their operational lifetime, SWISs are exposed A peristaltic pump (W-M 520SN/REL, Watson-Marlow, UK), draws to a range of damage-provoking conditions. The presence of micro­ media fromthe bioreactor vesse!, and the output flow is split between organisms can lead to complex, and not yet fullyunderstood, deteri­ the two flow cells. Perfluoroalkoxy (PFA) tubing (PFA-T8-062-50, oration of pipeline material. Carbon steel is particularly vulnerable Swagelok, UK) was used. Iwo regulation needle valves (PFA-4RPS8, to sulfideattack; hence biotic sulfideproduction resulting fromSPP Swagelok, UK) were installed before and after each flow cell. Each activity is of great concem. flow cell was also equipped with a flow meter (FTB332infra-red light In offshoreOil and Gas (O&G) industry,the main target in MIC con­ beam micro-flow meter, Omega Engineering, UK) located after the trai and remediation is taxonomically and metabolically diverse SRP. exit regulation valve. The flow rate through each of the flow cells was Able to grow within a wide temperature range, SRP are routinely detect­ controlled at 180 mL/min with the regulation valves. After passing ed in parts of the offshore oil extraction systems where sulfate-rich through the flow cells, the liquid stream rejoins and retums to the seawater-containing fluids are being produced or processed and anoxie bioreactor vesse!. Liquids were re-drculated in the bioreactor loop conditions may prevail [26,27]. for100days. It has to be emphasized that not just SRP, but also other classes of The entire bioreactor flow system was constructed from polymers anaerobic dihydrogen sulfide produdng organisms, pose equal, if not to minimize contamination with exogenous metal ions. Furthermore, greater, MIC threat [32]. These include spore formingbacteria belonging materials, including perfluoroalkoxy (2 mm thickness), polyolefin to the phylum Finnicutes and the class Clostridia, which