Tenaris experts led a regional workshop to address early signs of corrosion observed in Argentina’s Vaca Muerta. 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.
Currently, shale gas production in Vaca Muerta is about 32 MMm3 a month, representing almost 30% of the gas in Argentina. Tenaris’s technical sales for the Southern Cone carried out a two-day session on corrosion in non-conventional fields. The workshop brought together more than 70 representatives with the main shale gas leaders in the country.
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. 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.
