Why Equipment Corrodes in Oil & Gas Facilities
1 Day Course
The training is designed for personnel involved in operations, inspection, and reliability, with an emphasis on practical application rather than theory.
This course provides a practical, field-focused understanding of corrosion in oil and gas facilities. Using real-world failure examples, inspection photographs, and applied engineering concepts, participants will learn how corrosion develops, how to recognize early warning signs, and how to prevent failures before they occur.
Who This Course Is For
Maintenance and field personnel
Reliability and integrity engineers
Operations and production teams
Inspection and integrity management staff
Engineers responsible for equipment performance
Course Outline
Fundamentals of Corrosion in Oil & Gas Systems
Basic corrosion principles and electrochemical drivers
Why corrosion occurs in production environments
The Most Common Field Corrosion Mechanisms
Overview of the key mechanisms encountered in pipelines and facilities
How to recognize each mechanism based on damage morphology
Environmental Drivers of Corrosion
Effects of temperature, flow, water chemistry, and contaminants
How operating conditions influence corrosion rates
Corrosion Under Insulation (CUI)
Why CUI occurs and where it is most likely to develop
Inspection challenges and failure examples
Galvanic Corrosion in Equipment
Dissimilar metals and electrochemical potential differences
Real-world examples of accelerated damage
Fundamentals of Corrosion in Oil & Gas Systems
Basic corrosion principles and electrochemical drivers
Why corrosion occurs in production environments
The Most Common Field Corrosion Mechanisms
Overview of the key mechanisms encountered in pipelines and facilities
How to recognize each mechanism based on damage morphology
Environmental Drivers of Corrosion
Effects of temperature, flow, water chemistry, and contaminants
How operating conditions influence corrosion rates
Corrosion Under Insulation (CUI)
Why CUI occurs and where it is most likely to develop
Inspection challenges and failure examples
Galvanic Corrosion in Equipment
Dissimilar metals and electrochemical potential differences
Real-world examples of accelerated damage
Our Instructors
Bruce Gordon
Principal Engineering Consultant – Viking Engineering
Bruce has over 40 years of experience in materials, corrosion, and asset integrity engineering within the oil and gas industry. His career spans both research and field application, with a strong focus on materials selection, corrosion management, and system-level integrity across offshore and onshore facilities.
He began his career with Shell Development and Shell Offshore, working in materials science and corrosion engineering, where he contributed to corrosion modeling, inhibitor development, and failure analysis for upstream and downstream systems. He later transitioned into project and consulting roles, supporting major offshore developments and complex production systems around the world.
Over the past 25 years, Bruce has worked as a senior consultant on large-scale projects ranging from individual equipment upgrades to major deepwater developments. His experience includes materials selection for topsides systems, corrosion modeling, risk-based integrity assessments, and development of corrosion management strategies for long-term asset performance.
He has supported projects such as Whale, Vito, Appomattox, and Perdido, working closely with design and operations teams to ensure materials and corrosion risks are properly understood and managed throughout the asset lifecycle. His work integrates materials behavior, production chemistry, and operating conditions to provide practical, system-level solutions.
Bruce brings a broad, experience-based perspective to corrosion and materials engineering, helping bridge the gap between design intent and real-world performance in operating facilities.
Neil Burns
Failure Investigator – Viking Laboratory Services
Neil has over 30 years of experience in metallurgical engineering, corrosion, and failure analysis, supporting oil and gas, chemical, power generation, and industrial clients worldwide. His work has focused on identifying the root causes of equipment failures and developing practical, field-ready solutions to improve reliability and prevent recurrence.
He began his career in the UK managing an accredited metallurgical testing laboratory before moving to the United States, where he expanded into failure analysis and corrosion engineering across a wide range of industries. Over the course of his career, he has conducted more than 1,500 failure investigations on components ranging from pipelines and pressure vessels to rotating equipment and production systems.
Neil spent several years with Stress Engineering in New Orleans, delivering failure analysis and materials engineering support to upstream, midstream, and downstream operators. He later joined Viking Engineering, where he now leads failure investigations and consulting efforts for oil and gas clients, combining metallurgical analysis, corrosion evaluation, and system-level assessment to provide defensible root cause conclusions.
His experience includes corrosion-related failures, weld degradation, hydrogen damage, and system-level integrity issues, with a focus on linking material behavior to operating conditions. He regularly works with plant personnel, engineers, and inspection teams to translate complex failure mechanisms into practical guidance that can be applied in the field.
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