Oil and Gas Professionals – STOP FIGHTING CORROSION

According to a study on the effects of corrosion given by NACE International at the OTC, the "total annual cost of corrosion in the oil and gas production industry is estimated to be $1.372 billion”(Simmons, 2008), so why exactly would you want to stop fighting such a costly impairment? Simple.  Rather than fight it, you should be dealing with it.  Corrosion is a fact of life, yet there are a few ways to significantly limit it.

Fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP)So, how exactly do you effectively deal with the issue of corrosion while not fighting it?  As with any reoccurring problem: you must take a new approach.  Metal is extremely corrosive, especially in this environments.  Rather than continuously applying coating to limit corrosion, you can use a different material that practically eliminates this problem.

 products are commonly used in a number of industries and have even become the preferred material in some innovative industries.  FRP offers superior corrosion resistance allowing it to withstand the harsh environment of the oil and gas industry.  Elements such as salt not only corrode materials in the oil and gas industry but also tend to build up on surface materials.  FRP not only limits corrosion, but also has resistance to encrustation.  FRP is also very strong and can withstand the harsh physical erosion present in the oil and gas industry.

What often scares people away from fiberglass is the initial cost of the product, but do not be dismayed, these costs can often be misleading.  The initial cost of fiberglass materials is often on the higher end; however, your company will be able to save overall.  The installation of FRP is a fraction of the cost of steel.  It is very light weight in comparison to metal, so you do not need to spend money on machinery to move it.  Even though FRP is very light weight, it has a strong strength-to-weight ratio.  FRP has a significantly longer service life than metal, saving your company even more money. 

To review, corrosion is too powerful to be fought; yet using alternative materials such as corrosion resistant FRP will help limit the amount of corrosion, allowing for your structures to have a much longer product life.  By using FRP, your company can save a lot of money on shipping and installation.