What Does
Amine Inhibitor Mean?
Amine inhibitors are substances produced from amine or their derivatives which prevent or decrease the rate of chemical reactions or corrosion.
Amine inhibitors are commonly used in industrial lubricants, greases and rust-preventive fluids. They are also used to control corrosion, neutralize hazardous acid gas and prevent scale.
In oil refineries, hydrogen sulfide can corrode steels, so it is often removed using air and amines by conversion to polysulfides. Using amine-type inhibitors reduces corrosion rate, but wear rate is increased in gas pipes.
Corrosionpedia Explains Amine Inhibitor
Inhibitors are commonly added to:
- Coolants
- Fuels/hydraulic fluids/engine oil
- Boiler water
- Many other fluids used in industry
Amine inhibitors are mostly used as corrosion inhibitors in the oil and gas industries or as reaction inhibitors in manufacturing industries. The character of the corrosive inhibitor depends on:
- Material being protected, most frequently metal objects
- Corrosive agent(s) to be neutralized, generally oxygen, hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide
Oxygen is generally removed by reductive inhibitors such as amines and hydrazines.
Certain ethyleneamines can be used as corrosion inhibitors in petroleum production operations. The reaction of diethylenetriamine (DETA) and triethylenetetramine (TETA) with fatty acids produces amidoamines and substituted imidazolines, which are used as corrosion inhibitors in petroleum production operations.
Since each amine has unique properties, selection of the best amine inhibitors to help prevent corrosion has always involved making compromising choices among the various properties of the neutralizing amines (and their salts). For example, filming amine is used to inhibit corrosion in water-based drilling fluids. It also can be used in air and gas drilling applications. It protects steel equipment by adsorbing onto surfaces, forming a film barrier to corrosive conditions.
Water-dispersible blended amine is also used to inhibit corrosion in dispersed water-based drilling fluids. It forms a protective film on all metal surfaces, helping to prevent corrosion attack from oxygen/carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide.
Volatile amines are applied in boilers to offset the effects of acid. In some cases, the amines form a protective film on the steel surface and, at the same time, act as an anodic inhibitor.