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Wrinkling

Last updated: September 18, 2017

What Does Wrinkling Mean?

Wrinkling is a type of corrosion damage that is characterized by buckling or crumpling. It is usually found in the surface of risers and deepwater pipelines as well as pipelines in the gas, petrochemical and oil industries.

Modern gas and oil pipes are lined, but they can still be subjected to reeling and bending. In order to ensure that the pipes are suitable for use, tests are implemented to see whether the lined pipe is likely to wrinkle.


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Corrosionpedia Explains Wrinkling

Wrinkling is most likely to occur in unprotected pipelines. Thus, the demand for pipes that are lined with corrosion-resistant alloy (CRA) is high as developing gas and oil fields possess corrosive properties.

Wrinkling is usually caused by high carbon dioxide and sulfur content. When the levels of these two elements are too high, an average carbon steel pipe undergoes buckling or wrinkling. With this, most gas and oil industries make use of pipes that are CRA lined to make the pipes suitable for use even when subjected to corrosive environments.

Once the pipes are lined, they are less likely to wrinkle, regardless of the stresses involved. Regular inspection of the pipes should be performed, especially now that there are more reliable and sophisticated measurement methods available.

Through the proper selection of materials as early as the design phase, fewer incidences of wrinkling and other forms of corrosion damage occur, which can hinder the effectiveness of the operations.

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