Tenaris S A : experts lead industry discussion on corrosion in Argentina’s Vaca Muerta unconventional gas wells

PUBLISHED ON 07/23/2021

Tenaris experts led a regional workshop to address early signs of corrosion observed in Argentina's Vaca Muerta, the second-largest gas reservoir in the world. The corrosive gas environment in the oilfield has led to a loss of integrity problems in tubing and casing for several operators. In some cases, the loss of casing wall thickness has reached more than 30-40% after the first six months of production.

Today, shale gas production in Vaca Muerta is about 32 MMm³ a month, representing almost 30% of the gas in Argentina, an historical record with pre-pandemic levels. With several operators experiencing loss of integrity problems in tubing and casing, Tenaris's technical sales for the Southern Cone carried out - virtually, and for the first time - a two-day session on corrosion in non-conventional fields. The workshop brought together more than 70 representatives with main shale gas leaders in the country, such as YPF, Tecpetrol, Total Austral, Pan American Energy, Pampa Energía and Pluspetrol.

On the first day, the agenda aimed at reviewing aspects of corrosion by CO2 and H2S, cracking, corrosion by bacteria and predictive models of corrosion rate. This discussion was led by Sandro Nicolino, Well Design Solutions Senior Manager at Tenaris. Day two was dedicated exclusively to operating companies, where customers presented their experiences, challenges, and possible solutions. The Technical Sales team highlighted the creation of a database that functions as a corrosion map and allows detailed monitoring of wells that are candidates for new metallurgies.

Nicolás Rebasa, Technical Sales Senior Manager for the West region at Tenaris stated that 'Tenaris served as the facilitator on a key discussion for the industry, which also helped to consolidate our advisory role regarding evaluation and selection of materials.'

On the other hand, Sebastián Chevalier, Manager of Unconventional Production Engineering at Tecpetrol, also highlighted the role of Tenaris in generating virtuous exchanges and 'the importance of these type of meetings to level and share solutions between different players in the industry.' All those present agreed to generate a second session of the event in the future.

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