Erosion Prevention for Piping and Valves in Offshore Oil and Gas Industry: A Case Study

Similarly to corrosion, erosion can have several adverse effects, including human death, environmental pollution, and the loss of assets and productive capacity. The piping and valve systems of oil and gas plants are essential and expensive components that can be subject to erosion depending on factors such as fluid velocity and fluid turbulence. Based on some experience gained in various oil and gas projects primarily on the Norwegian continental shelf, this paper aims to mitigate the effects of erosion on piping and valves. As part of this paper, several strategies and cases are discussed in detail, including the use of hard facing materials for valve internals, the change of globe valves to a more appropriate style of globe valves, the use of straight pipe before and after check valves, the use of bends rather than elbows, and the selection of valves for dirty services near the first stage separator.