Combatting Pipeline Corrosion Due to Bacterial Contamination of the Wells of Western Siberian Oil Fields.

The reason for the occurrence of local corrosion damage in the pipelines of formation-pressure maintenance systems is electrochemical corrosion, which is intensified at sites of deposition buildup under the action of macrogalvanic couples. The activity of these couples is stimulated in the presence of sulfate-reducing bacteria and the products of their metabolism. In order to increase the reliability of the water lines in fields contaminated by sulfate-reducing bacteria, it is necessary to sterilize the water or to treat it either with bactericidal inhibitors or, if these are unavailable, with a combination of a corrosion inhibitor and a bactericide.