Offshore well casing cathodic protection

Conference · Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1987

OSTI ID:7244337

Hamberg, A; Orton, M D; Smith, S N

Many papers have been published on cathodic protection of offshore platforms, but few references are made on the extent of protection of the well casings attached to the structures. Others reported tests in the Arabian Gulf which showed the galvanic anodes protected the wells to a depth of approximately 3200 ft (976 m) and that 300 A were required to completely protect bare well casings attached to a six-well platform in 40 ft (12 m) of water. Recent tests in deeper water (170 ft (52 m() showed the structure galvanic anodes deliver approximately 8 A per well and protect the bare casing to approximately 3000 ft (915 m). An impressed current cathodic protection system with 600 A applied to anodes placed 400 ft (122 m) from the structure protected the structure and six bare well casings to 8000 ft (2440 m). A protection criterion of 0.1 mA/ft/sup 2/ (1.1 mA/m/sup 2/) in the lower cemented zone was proposed. Impressed current anodes placed closer than 400 ft (122 m) from the structure did not protect the wells to the required depth.

• OSTI ID: 7244337
• Report Number(s): CONF-870314-
• Resource Relation: Conference: Corrosion '87, San Francisco, CA, USA, 9 Mar 1987
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
03 NATURAL GAS
42 ENGINEERING
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
ALLOYS
CATHODIC PROTECTION
OFFSHORE PLATFORMS
WELL CASINGS
ANODES
ARABIAN SEA
CORROSION RESISTANCE
NATURAL GAS WELLS
OIL WELLS
PERFORMANCE
TESTING
CORROSION PROTECTION
ELECTRODES
INDIAN OCEAN
SEAS
SURFACE WATERS
WELLS
020300* - Petroleum- Drilling & Production
030300 - Natural Gas- Drilling
Production
& Processing
420206 - Engineering- Mining & Drilling Equipment & Facilities- (1980-1989)
360105 - Metals & Alloys- Corrosion & Erosion