Tracking of the rate of corrosion of a metal conduit traversed by a corrosive fluid

Abstract

A method of tracking the rate of corrosion of a metal conduit traversed by a corrosive fluid, in which is provided a device arranged so as to form, when said device is installed on a wall of the metal conduit, a chamber able to receive gaseous hydrogen issuing by permeation across said wall of said conduit, the method comprising: (i) a step of treatment to eliminate a metallic species from the chamber, (ii) a step of measuring a quantity of hydrogen received in the chamber, with a view to estimating the rate of corrosion of the metal conduit.

1 - 15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . A system for measuring the rate of corrosion of a metal pipe comprising
 a device installed on a wall of the metal pipe that forms a chamber that is able to receive gaseous hydrogen resulting from permeation through said wall of said metal pipe,   means for measuring a quantity of gaseous hydrogen in the chamber, and in which the internal surfaces of the walls of the chamber are virtually free from metallic species that could be reduced by the gaseous hydrogen by scavenging the interior of said chamber with a stream comprising gaseous hydrogen prior to measurement.   
     
     
         17 . The system as claimed in  claim 16 , in which the device is welded on the wall of the metal pipe so as to hermetically seal the chamber. 
     
     
         18 . The system as claimed in  claim 16 , further comprising:
 a gas inlet and a gas outlet connected to the chamber, and   an analyzer of the quantity of hydrogen present in the gas collected at the gas outlet.   
     
     
         19 . The system as claimed in  claim 16 , in which the measuring means comprise a detector comprising a nickel-palladium membrane. 
     
     
         20 . The system as claimed in  claim 16 , further comprising processing means which are (i) connected permanently via a wire link or by radio frequency to the measuring means, or (ii) are not directly connected to said measuring means and receive the data collected by said measuring means via data transfer means, the latter being designed to be connected successively (a) to said measuring means for acquisition of the data collected by the latter, then (b) to said processing means, for retrieval of said collected data. 
     
     
         21 . An installation for storing or refining petroleum or petroleum products, comprising a system as claimed in  claim 16 .