Methanesulfonic acid (MSA) as an acid used in the well stimulation

procedure and corrosion of 22Cr

Jennifer Jackson, BASF SE, Corrosion and Production Chemicals, Global Oilfield
Solution, Carl-Bosch Strasse 38, 67056 Ludwigshafen, Germany
Matjaž Finšgar, University of Maribor, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical
Engineering, Smetanova ulica 17, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia

A very important step in the oil, gas, and geothermal water drilling industry is the well
acidizing procedure, which is a rock reservoir (the origin of the natural resource or
water – a geological subterranean formation) stimulation technique used to improve
productivity. In the well acidizing procedure different acids are employed depending
on the underground reservoir characteristics.

Acids frequently represent a potential danger for drilling crews and the environment.
For drilling crews it is particularly important that fluids do not cause health problems,
i.e. dermal toxicity, eye irritation, skin sensitisation, and mutagenicity. However,
conventional acids frequently cause these problems (e.g. HCl, HF, HCOOH,
CH3COOH). Moreover, inhibitors for conventional acids are frequently effective only
at high concentrations and are extremely toxic, causing handling and waste disposal
problems, and producing toxic vapours under acidizing process conditions.

Due to the above listed potential problems and disadvantages of using conventional
acids, safer, environmentally more acceptable and less corrosive alternatives are
currently being sought. A standalone acid such as methanesulfonic acid (MSA) could
be a solution to address some of these challenges. From the environmental
perspective, MSA is usually described as a “green acid” and frequently
environmentally and human health hazard much more acceptable compared with
some conventional acids.

In this work we will show that MSA could be an alternative to the conventional acids
currently employed in the well acidizing procedures. The great compatibility of
non-inhibited MSA with 22Cr steel (material used for the well construction) at
elevated temperature in terms of general and pitting corrosion will be explored. We
will demonstrate the use of MSA without inhibitor can be a viable option for acidizing
well application that are constructed from 22Cr steel.