TITLE:
Numerical Method of Measurement of the Corrosion Rate in the Flow of a Fluid in a Smooth Tube: A Case Study of Atmospheric Distillation of Crude Oil
AUTHORS:
Ndiassé Fall, Dialo Diop, Momath Ndiaye, Kharouna Talla, Haroun Ali Adannou, Aboubaker Chèdikh Beye
KEYWORDS:
Corrosion, Crude Oil, Dimensionless Numbers, Flow, Materials
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Fluid Dynamics,
Vol.15 No.1,
February
20,
2025
ABSTRACT: The atmospheric distillation column is a vertical cylinder, approximately 50 meters high and 8 meters in diameter. Once the crude oil is vaporized, it is injected into this column. Throughout the column, vaporized crude oil carries properties such as moisture and corrosivity, thereby diffusing the chemical factors of corrosion throughout the column walls. This study aims to utilize the physicochemical properties of vaporized crude oil and its upward flow motion to quantify corrosion induced by atmospheric distillation. The objective of this article is to characterize this specific flow and to measure corrosion within the atmospheric distillation column. This study is conducted by modelling the flow using dimensionless numbers and programming the characteristic equations of this flow in a specific geometry and under physicochemical conditions. The results indicate that the regime of this flow is a critical turbulent flow regime. However, induced flow corrosion increases significantly due to turbulence.