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Saep 500
Saep 500
1 Scope............................................................. 2
2 Conflicts and Deviations................................. 2
3 Applicable Documents ………………………...2
4 Definitions……………..................................... 3
5 General Requirements……............................ 5
6 Qualification of BIC Chemicals....................... 6
1 Scope
1.1 This Saudi Aramco Engineering Procedure (SAEP) describes the minimum
requirements for screening and qualification of chemicals for hydrate and
corrosion inhibition intended for use in Saudi Aramco facilities.
1.2 It also addresses the compatibility of Kinetic Hydrate Inhibitors (KHIs) (selected
per 26-SAMSS-085) or other hydrate inhibitors (HI) with other different
chemicals such as corrosion inhibitors that will be used in the same process
streams or pipeline systems.
2.1 Any conflicts between this procedure and other applicable Saudi Aramco
Engineering Standards (SAESs), Materials System Specifications (SAMSSs), or
industry standards, codes, and forms shall be resolved in writing by the
Company or Buyer's Representative through the Managers, Process & Control
System and Consulting Services Departments of Saudi Aramco, Dhahran.
2.2 All requests to deviate from this standard shall be directed in writing to the
Company or Buyer's Representative, who shall follow internal company
procedure SAEP-302 and forward such requests to the Manager, Process &
Control System Department of Saudi Aramco.
3 Applicable Documents
Unless stated otherwise, all codes and standards referenced shall be the latest issue
(including Revisions and Addenda). Sections of standards referenced herein shall be
considered as part of this standard.
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Document Responsibility: Flow Assurance Standards Committee SAEP-500
Issue Date: 13 June 2010 Guidelines for Screening and Qualification
Next Planned Update: 13 June 2015 of Chemicals for Hydrate and Corrosion Inhibition
4 Definitions
BIC: is an abbreviation for Best in Class, which are a set of chemicals (one KHI and
one CCI and one BCI) (see definitions of KHI, CCI and BCI below) recommended by
the suppliers based on preliminary testing.
BCI: Batch Corrosion Inhibitor; a chemical that is primarily used to film the entire
pipe internal surface; it is typically displaced through the pipeline between two batching
scrapers.
CCI: Continuous Corrosion Inhibitor; a chemical that is continuously injected into the
pipeline to establish and maintain a sufficient concentration for effective corrosion
protection.
Delivery Samples: are obtained from every shipment for QC testing. If the actual
delivery sample compares to the standard sample within prescribed limits, it is approved
by the Chemical Quality Assurance Unit or SA designated third party testing facility
and released for field delivery. See definitions below for Retained Standard Sample.
Page 3 of 9
Document Responsibility: Flow Assurance Standards Committee SAEP-500
Issue Date: 13 June 2010 Guidelines for Screening and Qualification
Next Planned Update: 13 June 2015 of Chemicals for Hydrate and Corrosion Inhibition
HI: Hydrate Inhibitor; a generic term for chemicals that prevent the formation of
hydrates. There are three classes of hydrate inhibitors; thermodynamic, anti-
agglomerants and kinetic inhibitors with the thermodynamic inhibitors being the most
extensively used. Thermodynamic inhibitors are additives that work by changing the
hydrates thermodynamic forming conditions. They decrease the hydrate formation
temperature at a specific pressure or increase the hydrate formation pressure at a
specific temperature. Common thermodynamic inhibitors are methanol and Mono
Ethylene glycol (MEG).
KHI: Kinetic Hydrate Inhibitor; a special type of hydrate inhibitors, which are
generally water-soluble polymers, prevent hydrate formation by delaying their
nucleation and growth rather than preventing them from forming. Unlike the
thermodynamic inhibitors LDHIs are effective at low concentrations (less than 2 wt%).
Several chemical suppliers supply various types of KHI depending on the gas operating
conditions. KHI performance is highly affected by gas operating conditions such as
composition and subcooling temperatures. Generally, the higher the subcooling, the
less effective they are. The performance of KHI can also be affected by presence of
other chemicals in the system such as corrosion inhibitors and methanol. For the above
reasons, it is necessary to conduct rigorous testing simulating actual field conditions to
determine the performance and effectiveness of the KHI prior to its selection.
MSG (Material Service Group) 148400: is the code for Flow Assurance Chemicals
i.e., DRA, KHI, etc.
Pre-screening Test: the process of testing candidate chemicals for the purpose of
identifying the best-in-class chemical for qualification testing.
Page 4 of 9
Document Responsibility: Flow Assurance Standards Committee SAEP-500
Issue Date: 13 June 2010 Guidelines for Screening and Qualification
Next Planned Update: 13 June 2015 of Chemicals for Hydrate and Corrosion Inhibition
Retained Standard Sample: a sample of each MSG 148400 chemical currently in use
by Saudi Aramco to be taken from the first delivery of each chemical at the beginning
each new year. This sample is to be compared with the original standard sample in
physical properties and laboratory performance. If the results are comparable, the
retained standard sample will be used, if necessary, a reservoir of incumbent chemical
to be utilized during the year for any comparison testing. The retained standard sample
is replaced each year.
The name and telephone number for the RSA can be obtained from Materials
Standardization or from DeskTop Standards – Other Information: "RSA Specialists to be
Contacted on Matters of Materials Standardization, Stock Simplification, and Source
Development."
Subcooling: is the measure of how far into the hydrate forming region a system is at a
given temperature and pressure.
Testing Protocol: a document that specifies the methodology and test conditions to be
used for evaluating the performance of candidate chemicals in combination with other
different chemicals that are expected to be used in the same service for selecting best-
in-class chemicals.
5 General Requirements
5.1 All chemical vendors must be approved by Saudi Aramco prior to participating
in the chemical screening and qualification program.
5.2 Only approved chemical vendor with historic and successful KHI/CI use must
be considered. The chemicals (KHI/CCI/BCI) should be supplied from the same
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Document Responsibility: Flow Assurance Standards Committee SAEP-500
Issue Date: 13 June 2010 Guidelines for Screening and Qualification
Next Planned Update: 13 June 2015 of Chemicals for Hydrate and Corrosion Inhibition
vendor in order to avoid conflict with other vendors if a failure was to occur during
service.
5.3 Each approved chemical vendor must submit its own developed testing
protocols that it intends to use for pre-screening and identifying Best-In-Class
(BIC) chemicals.
5.4 The pre-screening testing protocols shall be approved by P&CSD and CSD to
ensure the proposed tests are relevant and test parameters will closely simulate
the target service conditions. Once approved, testing shall be carried out by the
chemical vendor using agreed parameters to determine the BIC chemicals.
Commentary Note:
If the intended service requires a KHI, continuous corrosion inhibitor (CCI) and
batching corrosion inhibitor (BCI), only one KHI, one CCI and one BCI shall be
submitted by each approved vendor to P&CSD and CSD for review.
5.6 All approved vendors must meet the above prequalification requirements before
their chemicals can be considered for further evaluation.
6.1. Testing shall be carried out using parameters closely simulating field conditions,
as agreed in writing among the coordinating engineer, the end-user, and the
appropriate testing laboratory (in-house or a designated third party). A copy of
the qualification testing protocol shall be provided to the FA RSA.
Currently, Saudi Aramco does not have the capability to conduct full chemical
qualification testing; therefore, tests are conducted in a third party facility capable
of complying with the test protocols and approved by the FA RSA.
Page 6 of 9
Document Responsibility: Flow Assurance Standards Committee SAEP-500
Issue Date: 13 June 2010 Guidelines for Screening and Qualification
Next Planned Update: 13 June 2015 of Chemicals for Hydrate and Corrosion Inhibition
i) Hot injection test in the presence of CCI and BCI (if needed).
ii) KHI performance test in presence of CCI and BCI (if needed).
iii) KHI performance testing with De-ionized (DI) water in presence of
CCI and BCI under flowing and static conditions for different
subcooling temperatures specified by the FA RSA.
iv) KHI performance testing with the presence of methanol, low salt
and low pH.
v) Secondary testing including combination of KHI/CCI/BCI (if
needed) to check for emulsion tendency, viscosity, brine, low pH,
foaming, flash point, weld test, material compatibility and long
term storage stability.
Commentary Note:
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Document Responsibility: Flow Assurance Standards Committee SAEP-500
Issue Date: 13 June 2010 Guidelines for Screening and Qualification
Next Planned Update: 13 June 2015 of Chemicals for Hydrate and Corrosion Inhibition
6.3 Other tests may also be deemed suitable, and can be included in the testing
protocol at the discretion of P&CSD and CSD in consultation with the
proponent Operations Engineering organization.
6.4 See Appendix A for the KHI/CI screening and qualification protocol.
Revision Summary
13 June 2010 New Saudi Aramco Engineering Procedure.
Page 8 of 9
Document Responsibility: Flow Assurance Standards Committee SAEP-500
Issue Date: 13 June 2010 Guidelines for Screening and Qualification
Next Planned Update: 13 June 2015 of Chemicals for Hydrate and Corrosion Inhibition
MEG KHI
Type of HI
Standardization catalogues HI
/CCI/BCI product into SAMS
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