Crude oil, as a mixture of all sorts of hydrocarbons, is not corrosive. However, there are some other impurities and components often found in crude oil that could cause corrosion in pipelines, vessels and refinery equipment, such as atmospheric columns, overhead lines, exchangers and condensers. In fact, sometimes the corrosivity of a crude oil is so high that extraction and refining that oil in a cost-effective manner becomes impossible. Here we'll take a look at some of the corrosive substances that may be found in crude - and what can be done to mitigate their effects.

....