What Does
Sidestream Device Mean?
A sidestream device refers to a device specifically constructed for the collection of biofilm samples for monitoring microbiologically influenced corrosion. This device facilitates a suitable approach to monitoring microbial organisms’ numbers in situ in different industrial environments such as:
- Gas & oil pipelines
- Injected water
- Seawater
- Systems using produced water re-injection
Corrosionpedia Explains Sidestream Device
A sidestream device is used to evaluate sessile microbial communities’ susceptibility to microbiologically influenced corrosion and other potential problems. It helps to examine the sessile bacterial communities in situ within oil and gas and other industrial water systems.
For microbiological testing in water pipelines, these devices are occasionally installed in pipelines that provide sampling locations for biofilms’ collection. Biofilms collected from this location are used in the simulated operating system to measure the corrosion rate in the pipeline.
In the process water, which is not standstill, the sample of sessile bacterial numbers is collected through exposing the sidestream device to a metal surface or biostud without shutting down the system.
In microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC), weight-loss corrosion coupons, sidestream devices, and pigging, returns are possible sources of biofilms samples. Metallurgical formulations of pipes, the environment to grow the microbial bacteria, operating conditions of the system, and fluid composition within the pipe need to be considered during collecting samples and determining the possible corrosion mechanism.