The history of corrosion inhibitors and neutralizers and their invention, development, and application in the petroleum industry is documented in the literature. Early corrosion inhibitor applications in each of the various segments of the industry, including oil wells, natural gas plants, refineries, and product pipelines, are reviewed.
Corrosion and scale deposition are the two most costly problems in oil industries. Corrodible surfaces are found throughout production, transport, and refining equipment.
Corrosion inhibitors, which are used for the protection of oil pipelines, are often complex mixtures. The majority used in oil production systems are nitrogenous and have been classified into the following broad groupings:
⦁ Amides and imidazolines
⦁ Salts of nitrogenous molecules with carboxylic acids (fatty acids, naphthenic acids)
⦁ Nitrogen quaternary
⦁ Polyoxylated amines, amides, and imidazolines
⦁ Nitrogen heterocyclics
