Research progress on nitrogen-containing heterocyclic quaternary ammonium salt corrosion inhibitors in high-temperature and high-pressure oilfield produced fluids

This paper focus on the recent progress regarding nitrogen-containing heterocyclic quaternary ammonium salt corrosion inhibitors in high-temperature, high-pressure (HTHP) oilfield produced fluid environments. Under these extreme conditions, the synergistic effects of elevated temperature and aggressive media exacerbate multi-mechanism corrosion in oil and gas pipelines, posing high failure risks for conventional steel protection strategies. Nitrogen-containing heterocyclic quaternary ammonium salts form protective films primarily through coordination bonding and electrostatic adsorption, with structural optimization significantly enhancing their performance. Composite inhibitor formulations demonstrate superior efficacy in field applications. However, current studies exhibit critical gaps, including validated failure models under multi-field coupling conditions and high-temperature adsorption kinetics data. Future research should prioritize molecular design optimization, enhanced environmental compatibility, and advanced multi-scale simulations. Integrating in-situ characterization techniques with machine learning approaches will enable mechanism-driven, precision design of high-temperature corrosion inhibitors, thereby offering robust theoretical frameworks and practical engineering solutions for long-term corrosion mitigation in extreme environments.