Name: Maria Camila Gonzlez Castillo

Subject: Production water treatment

and maintenance
Date: 15/06/17

BIOFILMS AND CORROSION IN THE OIL INDUSTRY

How we have studied the corrosion is a big problem in the oil industry, it affects all pipes
and accessories whit we work during the drilling, production and transportation. The
corrosion can have different origins like galvanic corrosion, cavitation, corrosion fatigue,
fretting corrosion and microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC), which we will
analyze.
MIC is one of the major problems with respect to corrosion due to the growth of
different bacteria which can increase the corrosion whit their metabolism. The
population of microorganisms and their hydrated polymeric secretion form a biofilm.
The biofilms affect interactions between metal surfaces and the environment, not only
in biodeterioration processes such as MIC, but also in several biotechnological processes
applied to materials recovery and handling. Thus, the key to the alteration of conditions
at a metal surface, and hence the enhancement or inhibition of corrosion is the
formation of a biofilm. This can be considered as a gel containing 95% or even more
water and a matrix of exopolysaccharidic substances (EPS), in which microbial cells and
inorganic detritus are suspended (Videla, Herra, 2015).
The biofilm is a system where occur many chemical and physics process, like the physic
deposition, production of corrosive products, that causing accelerated metal attack.
However, microbes can absorb some of these materials in their metabolism, thereby
removing them from the anodic and cathodic sites. The removal of reaction products,
termed depolarization, stimulates further corrosion. The surface exhibits its scattered
areas of localized corrosion, unrelated to de flow pattern (Muthukumar, 2003). This
localized corrosion is result of the change of electrochemical conditions influence by
microorganisms
The role of biofilms in enhancing corrosion in a biologically conditioned metal-solution
interface can be diverse, and may proceed through simultaneous or successive
mechanisms including: (a) Alteration of the transport of chemical species from or
towards the metal surface. (b) Facilitating the removal of protective films when the
biofilm detaches. (c) Inducing differential aeration effects as a consequence of a patchy
distribution of the biofilm. (d) Changing oxidation-reduction conditions at the metal-
solution interface. (e) Altering the structure of inorganic passive layers and increasing
their dissolution and removal from the metal surface. (Videla, Herra, 2015).
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Videla, Hctor A., & Herrera, Liz K.. (2005). Microbiologically influenced corrosion: looking to the
future. International Microbiology, 8(3), 169-180. Recuperated of:
http://scielo.isciii.es/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1139-67092005000300004&lng=es&tlng=en.

N Muthukumar, A Rajasekar, atd. (2003). Microbiologically influenced corrosion in petroleum product

pipelines. Indian Journal of Experimental Biology. Recuperated of:
http://nopr.niscair.res.in/bitstream/123456789/17162/1/IJEB%2041(9)%201012-1022.pdf