Mitigation of Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion in the Presence of Electromagnetic Field

Abstract Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion (MIC) is a well-documented phenomenon that accounts for a significant proportion of all upstream oil and gas corrosion issues from reservoir to refinery. This study investigates the impact of electromagnetic (EM) field created by a device that propagates an EM signal, on planktonic and sessile bacterial populations, aiming to determine the frequency configuration to inhibit bacterial growth, activity, and attachment to metal surfaces, thus mitigating bacterial activity conducive to the promotion of MIC. Such bacteria, including acid-producing bacteria (APB), general heterotrophic bacteria (GHB), and sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB), are primary contributors to MIC and the goal is to reduce their contribution to the many sources of corrosion that blight oil and gas production facilities. Using a closed-loop bio-system with recirculating seawater, which included bacterial inoculum and nutrients, to generate anaerobic biofilm conditions, bacterial quantification was performed using Most Probable Numbers (MPNs), ATP, and H2S analysis over a 90-day period, followed by EM signal treatment. Results demonstrated that EM signal treatment significantly reduced the activity and corrosiveness of APB, GHB, and SRB on metal surfaces, while less effect was observed in the seawater. Post-treatment, sessile (surface) bacterial counts decreased from 107/ml to 101/ml, while planktonic seawater counts remained at 105 to 106/ml. The EM signal effectively diminished bacterial metabolic activity, including H2S and acid production, and prevented bacterial attachment to surfaces. These initial findings suggest that EM signal technology presents an opportunity to further consider alternative methods to control MIC in oil and gas wells and production facilities. Opportunities for its validation and development into safe and sustainable operational practices should be further explored.