Inhibiting corrosion in aqueous films

Abstract

In a process for the exploration for or the production of crude oil and/or natural gas, wherein metal objects are exposed to a gas for period of time sufficient to produce an aqueous film, a method including introducing a corrosion inhibitor into a fluid in contact with the subject metal under conditions sufficient to introduce the corrosion inhibitor into the aqueous film can be used to prevent excessive corrosion. Useful as the corrosion inhibitor is 2-sulfanylpropan-1-ol, also known as 2-mercapto-ethanol, and 2-mercapto-ethanol substituted with one or two methyl groups, and combinations thereof.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for employing a corrosion inhibitor to prevent or mitigate corrosion of metal in an aqueous film. 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the corrosion inhibitor is selected from the group consisting of: 
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
         and combinations thereof. 
       
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the corrosion inhibitor is 
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the corrosion inhibitor is 
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the corrosion inhibitor is 
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the corrosion inhibitor is 
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the corrosion inhibitor functions to mitigate or prevent the formation of an aqueous film. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the metal is a surface within a gas well. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8  wherein production fluid with the gas well includes natural gas, minor amounts of readily condensable hydrocarbons, water, and carbon dioxide. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the metal is a surface within a pipeline. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the metal is a surface within a flowline. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11  wherein the metal is the top of the pipe within a flowline. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12  wherein the corrosion inhibitor is introduced as a vapor or aerosol into a gas space within a flowline. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the corrosion inhibitor is introduced into the production fluid and then partition out of the liquid into the gas phase. 
     
     
         15 . A process for the exploration for or the production of crude oil and/or natural gas, wherein metal objects are exposed to a gas for period of time sufficient to produce an aqueous film, introducing a vaporous corrosion inhibitor under conditions sufficient to treat the aqueous film with the vaporous corrosion inhibitor. 
     
     
         16 . The process of  claim 15  wherein the corrosion inhibitor is selected from the group consisting of: 
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
         and combinations thereof. 
       
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the corrosion inhibitor functions to mitigate or prevent the formation of an aqueous film. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the metal objects are in contact with a production fluid comprising natural gas, minor amounts of readily condensable hydrocarbons, water, and carbon dioxide.