Synthesis and assessment of new cationic gemini surfactants as inhibitors for carbon steel corrosion in oilfield water

Abstract

Three gemini surfactants were synthesized having the same length of terminal chain but differing in the spacer chain length and they were evaluated as corrosion inhibitors for carbon steel in oilfield water using weight loss, EIS, potentiodynamic polarization and open-circuit potential measurements. These measurements revealed that the synthesized materials have served as effective mixed-type corrosion inhibitors. Their adsorption on a carbon steel surface was well described by means of the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The activation parameters for the dissolution of carbon steel in solutions of oilfield water in the absence and presence of these inhibitors were calculated. The effect of immersion time on the stability and durability of protective films adsorbed on a carbon steel surface was studied using weight loss method. Ex situ inspection, i.e. post-exposure analysis, for the treated carbon steel surface has been performed using SEM, EDX and FT-IR tools.