Top of the line corrosion: causes, mechanisms, and mitigation using corrosion inhibitors

Top of the line corrosion (TLC) is a phenomenon of global importance in the crude oil and gas extraction industry and is particularly a source of problems for both offshore and onshore fields. It is often responsible for accelerated corrosion rates, loss of mechanical integrity and catastrophic failures in wet gas pipelines. This form of corrosion cost the oil and gas industry millions of dollars in maintenance and replacement works. The use of corrosion inhibitors is one of the most efficient methods of TLC mitigation and is still an active research area in both the academic and industrial sectors. However, the literature report of TLC mitigation using corrosion inhibitors is relatively scarce. There is limited literature on mitigation of TLC using corrosion inhibitors. A comprehensive and up-to-date review of TLC inhibitors is timely. In the present work, we reviewed scientific research publications related to causes, mechanisms, and mitigation using corrosion inhibitors reported for TLC from 1990 to 2020. Nitrogen-based compounds are the most widely used inhibitor chemistries. Existing critical knowledge gaps have been identified, and future research directions have also been highlighted.