Corrosion in the Geothermal Systems: A Review of Corrosion Resistance Alloy (CRA) Weld Overlay Cladding Applications

The geothermal industry offers a big challenge during material selection. The engineering materials in this geothermal industry are exposed to brine, steam, and hydrogen sulfide at working temperatures ⩽370 degrees Celsius and pressure of ⩽17 MPa. The corrosion problem is a more complex issue to solve, but if material selection could be thoroughly evaluated, it can benefit the asset owner since uptime can be increased and maintenance costs and downtime will be minimized. A few Corrosion Resistant Alloys (CRA) are described in this paper chosen for their corrosion resistance and outstanding mechanical properties. They can either be solid but employing them as cladding material will prove to be more economical while maintaining its integrity during service. This research aims to review the suitability of CRA weld overlay cladding application and its benefits in enhancing corrosion resistance of acidic wellhead piping systems for geothermal applications. This paper also describes the technical and economic benefits of using CRA clad material in the present condition which savings can be made up to 80%. However, there is a lack of established guidelines specifically for geothermal use for the systematic selection and qualification of materials. CRA selection is often based on limited data from literature or empirical testing on a case-by-case basis, which is time-consuming, costly, and often leads to overly conservative solutions.