Oil and gas installations worldwide rarely encounter prolonged periods of high humidity and elevated temperatures comparable to those in Qatar. These extreme environmental conditions create a natural laboratory for studying chloride stress corrosion cracking (CSCC) in alloys commonly deployed in such facilities. Assets in Qatar’s oil and gas fields have consistently suffered from CSCC, underscoring the need for systematic investigation. This project seeks to develop a corrosion atlas for CSCC in Qatar, aimed at predicting time-to-failure for seven corrosion-resistant alloys (CRAs). In the first phase, 700 samples were exposed across seven onshore and offshore sites for three years. The second phase expands the study to locations at varying distances from the shoreline to assess the influence of proximity to water. Environmental parameters, including temperature and humidity, are continuously monitored, while retrieved samples undergo surface soil analysis to quantify chloride deposition. The presentation highlights sample and rack design, testing methodology, and selected results. Characterization techniques include elongation measurements, metallography, and SEM/EDS analysis. Notably, CSCC was detected in lean duplex stainless steel after two years of exposure, raising critical concerns regarding its suitability for Qatar’s harsh operating environment.
