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Brief overview on corrosion behaviour of buried structure at Kariangau

industrial complex
To cite this article: R A Tanjung et al 2021 IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci. 623 012097

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INCRID 2020 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 623 (2021) 012097 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/623/1/012097

Brief overview on corrosion behaviour of buried structure at

Kariangau industrial complex

R A Tanjung1*, A W Yusariarta PP1, M Wulandari2

1
Department of Material and Metallurgy Engineering, Institut Teknologi Kalimantan,
Balikpapan (76127), Indonesia
2
Department of Environmental Engineering, , Institut Teknologi Kalimantan,
Balikpapan (76127), Indonesia

[email protected]

Abstract. Kariangau industrial complex (KIK) is an industrial area located in Balikpapan. Many
establishments in KIK are companies providing support for the mining, oil, and gas industry.
Indeed, for KIK to expand, the companies will build infrastructure both above and underground.
For underground structure, either it is a pipeline installation, structural foundation, or buried
structure, all will be at risk to degrade by corrosion. This study aims to briefly overview corrosion
risk in the buried system or pipeline in KIK. In this research, 5 points of reference were chosen
to represent different soil conditions in KIK. The material used is API 5L to define the structure
of a pipe used in gas industries. The observation was conducted on the soil condition and material
to analyze the corrosion behavior in KIK. The result shows that KIK has low corrosion risk and
complex corrosion behavior. Some areas have different corrosion behavior than others, and the
condition can be dynamic to time. It is recommended to use this article wisely for engineers to
use this article for corrosion engineering in this area.

1. Introduction
Balikpapan is one of the cities that has a reasonably large economy in Indonesia. It has triggered the
need to develop an Industrial Estate called the Kawasan Industri Kariangau. Kawasan Industri
Kariangau (KIK) is located in the coastal area near Balikpapan in East Kalimantan. The industrial
complex is strategically positioned, offering its investors a convenient distribution location for their
products. The site has an international container port with 15 ha, designated for the container, general
cargo, and bulk and shipping services. In this industrial area, several industrial supporting facilities are
planned to be built, one of which is installing a gas pipe located under the ground whose function is to
distribute natural gas to companies and housing residents. However, gas pipes buried underground are
mostly made of API 5L standard carbon steel, which has a very high risk of damage. One of the pipeline
damage is leakage that is caused by corrosion [1].
Corrosion is one of the most critical challenges facing the industry. Mostly, the dangerous corrosion
occurs in major industrial plants. There are some direct and indirect consequences of pipeline corrosion,
such as safety and financial and environmental damage. Various factors can affect pipeline steel's soil
corrosion, such as pH, soil humidity, temperature, soil chemistry, and aeration [2]. Bhattarai (2013) and
Noor (2012), on their research, investigated the soil properties such as moisture, pH, resistivity, redox
potential, chloride, and sulfide content to the level of corrosion in underground pipes by using three

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INCRID 2020 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 623 (2021) 012097 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/623/1/012097

types of soil. The results showed that the soil moisture level had a very significant effect on the growth
of corrosion.
Corrosion damage to gas pipes installed at the Kariangau Industrial Complex needs to be prevented.
It is necessary to analyze the environmental effects, especially the soil in the Kariangau industrial area.
Therefore, this study investigated the potential factors of soil moisture and pH, which will influence the
pipeline's corrosion rate. Hopefully, this analysis can describe the corrosion behavior in the Kariangau
Industrial Estate, so it can be one reference to estimate the best material of the pipeline.

2. Methodology

2.1. Materials
The material used in this research is Structural Steel, commonly known as API 5L Grade B. It was
brought as a pipe and surface prepared by removing any coating, including in shipping. Half then cut
the prepared sample to optimize material usage.

2.2. Overall assessment

The corrosion risk assessment was done at Kariangau Industrial Complex. Corrosion data is taken at 5
locations with an average distance of 1 Km from one site to another, illustrated in figure 1. The starting
point is determined based on the location closest to the pier because it is assumed that gas will begin to
flow from the area most relative to the riverbank. The conditions of the observed place are described as
follows. Location 1 and 5 shows signs of a prepared lot; when this research was conducted, there are no
indications of immediate construction on site. But it was clear that the lot was modified by human
activity. On the contrary, location 3 has no representation of the effect of human activity. Location 2
and 4, however, indicate some activities being done in those areas.

Figure 1. Map of corrosion risk assessment locations.

2.3. Corrosion behaviour

Corrosion measurements done in this research are open circuit potential and corrosion rate. Open-circuit
potential measures the sample potential versus the Cu/CuSO4 reference electrode. This potential is then
plotted in a pourbaix diagram to check our material's natural form in location. The corrosion rate is
measured by calculating the initial mass and final mass of the specimen buried over a certain period.
The difference between the last and initial mass over the recorded time will be showing the corrosion

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INCRID 2020 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 623 (2021) 012097 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/623/1/012097

rate data. Corrosion testing using the ASTM G31 standard. Corrosion measurements begin by planting
the specimen in the soil to a depth of approximately 0.5 m. Open circuit potential and corrosion rate
specimens are separated and marked. The open-circuit specimens were tied with copper wire and then
implanted to facilitate measurement. The Corrosion Rate test aims to see the effect of time on soil
aggressivity or material corrosion.

2.4. Soil characterization

Soil characterization testing was done by measuring soil resistivity and soil pH. Soil resistivity was
tested by inserting copper rods and pins. The distance between the copper rod and the two hooks is
arranged not to close together. Cables connect copper, nails, and a resistivity test. Soil pH is the
measurement by taking a 5-gram soil sample and then mixing it with distilled water to become mud,
then measuring the mud with a pH meter.

3. Results and discussion

3.1. Corrosion behaviour

Corrosion potential and corrosion rate could lead us to learn the behavior of corrosion in specific
conditions. In this research, the corrosion potential and corrosion rate measurement are shown in table
1 and table 2, respectively.

Table 1. Corrosion potential and status.

Location Code Corrosion Potential (mV) pH (avg) Status

A -580.8 4.82 Active
B -631.2 6.15 Active
C -629.9 6.18 Active
D -603.5 6.15 Active
E -559.5 5.99 Active

Table 2. Corrosion rate data.

Corrosion Rate (mpy) Soil Material
Location Code
A1 B A2 Cr Aggressivity Corrodibility
A 8.27 14.85 0.42 17.87 Increased Increased
B 11.09 5.92 2.93 19.53 Decreased Increased
C 10.30 9.66 18.20 15.13 Decreased Decreased
D 4.06 6.51 18.71 6.38 Increased Decreased
E 3.28 8.43 17.10 10.35 Increased Decreased

We can see that in all locations, the corrosion potential at given pH the materials will corrode as the
stable condition of steel under said conditions is active or in the form of Fe2+ Ion. It means corrosion is
spontaneously happening for every steel structure installed underground and tells us that extra
precaution to corrosion is needed when engineers start designing systems underground in KIK [5]. The
Table shows that behavior change over time for both soil aggressiveness and material corrodibility. The
data imply that locations that are in minimum contact with human activity have decreased corrosion
activity for soil aggression. However, material corrodibility does not show the same behavior [6].
Material corrodibility is affected by the distance between the locations of the riverbank. Location 1 and
2 are close by and thus show identical behavior. On the contrary, locations 3, 4, and 5 are further from
the riverbank.

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INCRID 2020 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 623 (2021) 012097 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/623/1/012097

These behaviors lead us to believe that KIK's continuous development will lead to an increase in soil
aggressivity. The fact that ongoing development will bring more human activity to the location brings
us to conclude that corrosion behavior will change over time [6].

3.2. Soil resistivity

Soil resistivity contributes to the rate at which corrosion reactions happen [7]. The measurement result
is shown in Table. The data shows which location is more active than the other. This data also shows us
that locations that are already affected by human activity are more corrosive than the other. The
classification based on soil resistivity is made and displayed in Table 3.

Table 3. Soil resistivity measurement

Location Soil Resistivity
Classification
Code (Ohm.m)
A 19.26 Corrosive
B 989.18 Low Corrosivity
C 324.71 Low Corrosivity
D 564.82 Low Corrosivity
E 37.12 Corrosive

3.3. Other factors

Many factors are contributing to the behavior of corrosion in soil systems [8]. In this research, soil
humidity and acidity were observed for a month. The result shows dynamic fluctuations in soil humidity
(figure 2 left) and continuous acidity (figure 2 right). Instability in both cases means that the soil
condition will change in regards to time. As stated in the introduction, KIK is still under development,
and the construction from many companies continues. It will also contribute to the change in the
environment, especially the soil condition. The soil observed either for the native soil or the imported
soil to cover the unstable native ground was not exposed to any activity during the research period, not
counting the climate or natural occurrence. Even so, the fluctuation in data can be seen clearly.

Figure 2. The plot of soil acidity (left) and humidity (right) vs. time.

The differences in acidity were not too significant in all locations showing relatively balanced acidity
or neutral condition. However, location 1 and location 5 tend to be more acid than locations 2, 3, and 4.
From the location characteristics, we can learn that the new location has neutral acidity than locations 1
and 5, modified by heavy equipment and other human activities. On the other hand, the humidity data
shows a relatively constant movement. It could imply that the change in humidity was identical in all
locations if we compared to the data from soil resistivity and its condition. It does not show a correlation

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INCRID 2020 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 623 (2021) 012097 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/623/1/012097

at all. This condition leads us to conclude that humidity's change does not directly affect the resistivity
[9]. The constant movement in humidity value implies that humidity change happens uniformly for
every location in KIK areas.

4. Conclusions
Considering the analysis and data provided by this research, we conclude that KIK has a relatively low
soil corrosion rate when this research is conducted. It means that the risk of buried steel structures
installed in this establishment is low. However, this should not be underestimated because the
development of industrial buildings and establishments could increase the corrosion aggressivity in
surrounding areas. It is recommended to use this article wisely as a basis for corrosion study and
prevention. For intricate engineering design, authors encourage engineers to make their measurements
for actual and updated data following the change in the surrounding area.

Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the financial support of this study from Ministry of Research and
Technology/National Research and Innovation Agency

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