Inhibitory influence of cationic Gemini surfactant on the dissolution rate of N80 carbon steel in 15% HCl solution

www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN Inhibitory influence of cationic Gemini surfactant on the dissolution rate of N80 carbon steel in 15% HCl solution M. A. Deyab1* & Q. Mohsen2 Strong acids are commonly used in petroleum wells to remove scale layers from the surface of N80 C-steel pipe. The corrosive effects of these acids, on the other hand, pose a significant risk to C-steel pipes. For the first time, we discovered the anti-corrosion properties of cationic Gemini surfactant, 1,2-bis(dodecyldimethylammonio) ethane dibromide (DMAEB), for N80 C-steel pipe in acid washing solution (15.0% HCl). The DMAEB, in particular, can reduce the corrosion rate of N80 C-steel by approximately 97%. DMAEB molecules work as a mixed-type corrosion inhibitor, according to electrochemical results. The DMAEB demonstrated a high inhibition effect at high temperatures, as well as high activation energy against the corrosion process. DMAEB’s significant performance is primarily due to physical adsorption on the N80 C-steel surface, as confirmed by adsorption isotherms, SEM, EDX, FT-IR, and theoretical studies. Our findings shed new light on the use of Gemini surfactants as corrosion inhibitors in petroleum wells. Today, the use of strong acids is an important source of promoting petroleum well productivity1. Hydrochloric acid (HCl) is injected into the N80 C-steel pipe to remove the scale layers from the pipe surface2. During acid washing, the strong acid causes severe corrosion in the steel pipe wall, reducing the pipe’s strength and resulting in material d estruction3, 4. During the cleaning process, corrosion inhibitors are mixed with the acids as a first line of d efence5–8. The most important source of corrosion protection for steel pipes is a group of various corrosion inhibitors such as organic compounds, inorganic compounds, and heterocyclic c ompounds9–14. Indeed, the toxic effects of these compounds compelled many researchers to use nontoxic alternatives to control corrosion in the petroleum industry. Surfactants have recently been used to replace traditional corrosion inhibitors, providing minimal risk and mitigating environmental i mpacts15–17. In comparison to other reported corrosion inhibitors such as organic and inorganic inhibitors, the use of Gemini surfactants (GS) is the most practical additive due to many advantages such as low toxicity, no irritating odor, good thermal stability, and high efficacy. Presently, GS is capable of corrosion inhibition in different media with very high efficacy18, 19. GS is composed of two head groups (hydrophilic) and two tails (hydrophobic) tied with the s pacer20. Therefore, the likely role of GS in the control of corrosion will be more effective than the conventional surfactants .Moreover; the cationic GS would provide increased anti-corrosion properties due to its antibacterial effects against the bacteria in the petroleum field. The novelty in this work is the exploring for the first time the anti-corrosion properties of cationic Gemini surfactant, 1,2-bis(dodecyl dimethylammonio) ethane dibromide (DMAEB), for N80 C-steel pipe in the acid washing solution (15% HCl). Although many works have been conducted in the field, there is still a lack in the theoretical and mechanistic approaches. In this work, we used both experimental (chemical, electrochemical and surface inspections) and theoretical approaches to explain the mechanism of inhibition efficiency of DMAEB. Materials and methods Materials. An Egyptian steel company supplied N80 C-steel pipe (composition: ≈ 0.33% C, 0.24% Si, 1.45% Mn, 0.05% Nb, 0.05% V, the balance Fe). Sigma-Aldrich provided the 1,2-bis(dodecyldimethylammonio) ethane dibromide (DMAEB) (purity 98%) and HCl (purity 37%). Figure 1 depicts the molecular structure of DMAEB. 1 Egyptian Petroleum Research Institute (EPRI), Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt. 2Department of Chemistry, College of Sciences, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia. *email: Scientific Reports | (2021) 11:10521 | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-90031-x 1 Vol.:(0123456789) www.nature.com/scientificreports/ Figure 1.  Molecular structure of 1,2-bis(dodecyldimethylammonio) ethane dibromide (DMAEB). DMAEB Conc mg/l CR average value ± standard deviation (mg/cm2/h) E w% Blank 2.84 ± 0.19 – 20 1.97 ± 0.13 30.6 40 1.02 ± 0.11 64.0 60 0.42 ± 0.05 85.2 80 0.16 ± 0.03 94.3 100 0.09 ± 0.01 96.8 120 0.10 ± 0.01 96.4 150 0.09 ± 0.01 96.8 Table 1.  Corrosion parameters obtained from mass loss method for N80 C-steel pipe in 15.0% HCl solution without (blank) and with DMAEB at 303 K. Methods. The surfaces of the N80 C-steel specimens were prepared before each experiment according to ASTM G1-0321, 22. ASTM G31—72(2004) standard method was used to conduct the mass loss experiments and evaluating corrosion rate23, 24. The polarization experiments were recorded using a three-electrode cell (working electrode = N80 C-steel, reference electrode = SCE, counter electrode = Pt) and potentiostat instrument (EG/G Model 273A). The polarization experiments were conducted in the potential range ± 250 mV vs. OCP and using a scan rate of 1.0 mV s −1. All measurements (potentiodynamic polarisation, gravimetry) were carried out three times under identical conditions. The averages of all data points were recorded. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) of the DMAEB in the pure water was determined by surface tension measurements using Tensiometer (KRÜSS Scientific). The surface morphology investigations (SEM and EDX) were conducted using ZEISS/EVO Scanning Electron Microscope fitted with EDX analyzer. FT-IR spectra were recorded via FT-IR spectrophotometer (Shimadzu: IRTracer™-100). Quantum chemical calculations were studied using the VAMP module in Materials Studio-6.0-software from Accelrys Inc. Results and discussion anti‑corrosion properties of DMAEB. The mass loss method and electrochemical technique (i.e. polarization test) have been used to investigate the anti-corrosion capabilities of DMAEB for N80 C-steel pipe in the acid washing solution (15% HCl). Table 1 shows the corrosion rate (CR) from mass loss measurements, as well as the inhibition efficiency (Ew%), for N80 C-steel pipe in 15% HCl solution with increasing concentrations of DMAEB at 303 K. The following relationships were used to calculate the CR and Ew%25, 26: CR = M/t × A, EW % = CR0 − CR × 100 CR0 (1) (2) M is the mass loss in N80 C-steel specimen, t is the time of immersion, A is the surface area, CR0 is the corrosion rate for blank solution and CR is the corrosion rate for inhibited solution. According to Table 1, the acid solution treatment with DMAEB resulted in a decrease in CR values. The change in DMAEB concentrations had a significant impact on the CR values. This means that increasing DMAEB concentrations causes a decrease in CR values. The addition of 100 mg/l of DMAEB results in the highest inhibition efficiency (Ew% = 96.8) (Table 1). There was no signif (...truncated)