SAFETY ASSESSMENT OF A PRODUCTION PLANT IN NIGERIA: A CASE STUDY OF CORROSION DEVELOMENT MECHANISM AT KADUNA REFINERY AND PETROCHEMICAL COMPANY

Abstract

Corrosion in oil/water pipeline system in production plants and petroleum industry continues to be a major problem in respect of safety in oil and gas industries. Corrosion development mechanism in Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemical Company's (KRPC) cooling water return pipeline has been studied based on the available data. A comprehensive mathematical corrosion model has been developed using MathCAD for simulating the effect of temperature, corrosion scale, and pipe material elemental content on the corrosion rate in Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemical Company (KRPC). It has been found from this work that corrosion rate increases with time; it increases with increase in temperature of the fluid passing through the pipe; and also increases with increase in mineral factor (Iron II content) of the mild steel pipe. Also, Corrosion rate decreases with increase in corrosion scale. Lack of proper maintenance and inadequate monitoring of equipment as well as prolonged shut-down time has been found to be responsible for high corrosion level in Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemical Company (KRPC), which is a major threat and potential hazard to the safety of the plant; integrity of physical assets and risks to the environment. vi