Characterization of Clad Pipelines from Goliat and Gullfaks Oilfields

Clad pipelines are increasingly used to improve the corrosion resistance of the pipelines. They consist of a layer of corrosion resistance alloy (CRA) cladded on a standard class of pipeline. The CRA alloy in this investigation is 316 Stainless Steel and the pipeline material is API-X65.The region of interest in this study was the interface between the clad and pipeline material. Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) in a scanning electron microscope was used to characterize the elemental distribution across the layers in both samples from Goliat and Gullfaks. Some micrographs were also provided pointing out the structure and defects in the clad/pipe interface. A hardness profile measurement across the interface was also performed.