Advanced Coating Protection Technology in the Oil and Gas Industry

A special issue of Coatings (ISSN 2079-6412). This special issue belongs to the section "Surface Characterization, Deposition and Modification".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 February 2027 | Viewed by 3044

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Oil & Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation, Petroleum Engineering School, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu 610500, China
Interests: oil country tubular goods engineering; corrosion and protection in oil and gas fields; wellbore integrity
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

During the exploration and development of oil and gas, the highly corrosive, abrasive, and erosive nature of the oilfield environment poses a significant threat to downhole equipment and pipelines, shortening their service life and increasing maintenance costs. Therefore, the development of high-performance coatings with corrosion, wear, and erosion resistance has become a crucial technical direction to ensure the efficient and safe operation of oilfields.

In recent years, with the rapid development of materials science and surface engineering technology, new types of coating materials have been emerging continuously. Ceramic-based composite coatings, with their excellent hardness and chemical stability, can effectively resist the erosion of corrosive media and particle impingement. Metal–polymer composite coatings combine the high strength of metals with the low friction characteristics of polymers, significantly enhancing the wear resistance of materials. Nanostructured coatings exhibit remarkable toughness and anti-fatigue performance by optimizing the microstructure. The innovative applications of these coating technologies not only significantly extend the service life of equipment but also greatly reduce maintenance and operation costs, providing effective support for the sustainable development of the oil and gas industry.

The scope of this Special Issue will serve as a forum for papers that address the following subjects:

  • Recent developments in multi-functional organic, inorganic, and hybrid coatings in the oil and gas industry.
  • Novel coating materials, such as nanocomposite coatings, self-healing coatings, and smart responsive coatings, developed to address the issues of corrosion, wear, and erosion in oil and gas industry.
  • Novel techniques for the preparation of high-performance coatings, including but are not limited to plasma spraying, laser cladding, and chemical vapor deposition.
  • Failure analysis and degradation mechanisms of coatings under corrosion, wear, erosion, or other dynamic loading conditions in oil and gas industry.
  • Application cases of coatings in the oil and gas industry that are of engineering significance.
  • Computer modeling and simulation methods to predict the performance, durability, and reliability of coatings in oil and gas industry.

Prof. Dr. Dezhi Zeng
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Coatings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • protective corrosion coatings
  • oil and gas industry service environment
  • failure analysis
  • degradation mechanisms
  • performance evaluation modeling of coatings

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 7587 KB  
Article
Risk Assessment of Stress Corrosion Cracking in 42CrMo Substrates Induced by Coating Failure of the Screw Rotor
by Yuhong Jiang, Hualin Zheng, Chengxiu Yu, Jiancheng Luo, Wei Liu, Zhiming Yu, Hanwen Zhang and Dezhi Zeng
Coatings 2026, 16(1), 97; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16010097 - 12 Jan 2026
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Abstract
Cracking occurred in the surface coating of a screw rotor during shale gas well operations. To determine whether the coating cracks could contribute to the failure of the 42CrMo substrate, the microstructure and morphology of surface cracks and local corrosion pits were examined [...] Read more.
Cracking occurred in the surface coating of a screw rotor during shale gas well operations. To determine whether the coating cracks could contribute to the failure of the 42CrMo substrate, the microstructure and morphology of surface cracks and local corrosion pits were examined and analyzed using a metallographic microscope, an SEM, and an EDS. To investigate the cross-sectional morphology and elemental distribution of corrosion pits, EDS mapping was performed. The composition of the corrosion products was characterized using Raman spectroscopy and XPS. In addition, four-point bend stress corrosion tests were conducted on screw rotor specimens under simulated service conditions. The results indicate that the P and S contents in the screw rotor substrate exceeded the specified limits, whereas its tensile and impact strengths satisfied the standard requirements. The microstructure consisted of tempered sorbite and ferrite, along with a small amount of sulfide inclusions. The corrosion products on the fracture surface were primarily identified as FeOOH, Fe3O4, and Cr(OH)3. All specimens failed during the four-point bend tests. The chlorine (Cl) content in the corroded regions reached up to 8.05%. These findings demonstrate that the crack resistance of the 42CrMo screw rotor was markedly reduced under the simulated service conditions of 130 °C in a saturated, oxygenated 25% CaCl2 solution. The study concludes that stress concentration induced by sulfide inclusions in the screw rotor, together with the combined effects of chloride ions, dissolved oxygen, and applied load, promotes the initiation and propagation of stress corrosion cracking. Therefore, it is recommended to strictly control the chemical composition and inclusion content of the screw rotor material and to reduce the oxygen content of the drilling fluid, thereby mitigating the risk of corrosion-induced cracking of the rotor. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Coating Protection Technology in the Oil and Gas Industry)
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13 pages, 2156 KB  
Article
Unraveling the Effects of Concentration and Temperature on the Molecular Dynamics Adsorption of a Phosphonic Acid Scale Inhibitor
by Hongjun Wu, Bao Zhang, Yi Yang, Tao Sun, Shiling Zhang, Zhongwu Yang, Kun Huang, Jiaxin Tang and Guangguang Xiang
Coatings 2026, 16(1), 42; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16010042 - 1 Jan 2026
Viewed by 515
Abstract
Based on static scale inhibition experiments and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, this study investigated the influence of concentration and temperature on the scale inhibition performance and adsorption behavior of the hydroxyphosphonic acid-based XCN scale inhibitor on calcite (104) surfaces. Experimental results demonstrate that [...] Read more.
Based on static scale inhibition experiments and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, this study investigated the influence of concentration and temperature on the scale inhibition performance and adsorption behavior of the hydroxyphosphonic acid-based XCN scale inhibitor on calcite (104) surfaces. Experimental results demonstrate that XCN exhibits excellent inhibition efficiency against CaCO3 scale, achieving 91.26% at 30 ppm and 60 °C. Further increasing the concentration to 35 ppm improves the inhibition rate by only 0.52%, a marginal gain attributable to the threshold effect. Performance improves with decreasing temperature, increasing from 91.26% at 60 °C to 96.92% at 30 °C. MD simulations reveal that the adsorption energy between XCN and calcite peaks at a specific molecular count (9 molecules), indicating optimal surface coverage. Radial distribution function analyses confirm chemisorption via Ca-O and Ca-H interactions within 1–3.5 Å, inducing lattice distortion that inhibits crystal growth. However, increasing temperature weakens adsorption and promotes molecular desorption, reducing inhibition efficiency. These findings provide molecular-level insights into the threshold and thermal behaviors of phosphonic acid scale inhibitors, supporting the optimized application of XCN in oilfield operations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Coating Protection Technology in the Oil and Gas Industry)
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Review

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31 pages, 4473 KB  
Review
Recent Progress in Organic Inhibitors for Anticorrosion in Complex Acid Environments
by Yunfeng Liu, Wei Li, Zhenhua Xiao, Shiwen Ji, Qiang Liu, Yongfan Tang, Yan Zhang and Jiemin Wang
Coatings 2026, 16(2), 150; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16020150 - 23 Jan 2026
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1540
Abstract
Corrosion in complex acid environments, such as high temperatures and acidic downhole conditions, remains a critical threat to well integrity during oil and gas acidizing. This review firstly examines the influence of downhole variables, including temperature, acidity, and steel, on the performance of [...] Read more.
Corrosion in complex acid environments, such as high temperatures and acidic downhole conditions, remains a critical threat to well integrity during oil and gas acidizing. This review firstly examines the influence of downhole variables, including temperature, acidity, and steel, on the performance of organic inhibitors. It analyzes molecular design strategies that enhance the stability and adsorption of traditional inhibitor classes, including Mannich Bases, quaternary ammonium salts, and benzimidazoles, through structural modifications such as rigid heterocycles, extended alkyl chains, and multi-dentate architectures. The discussion extends to synergistic formulations, sustainable alternatives derived from biopolymers or green chemistry, and intelligent responsive systems. Furthermore, the growing role of computational methods, from molecular dynamics simulations to AI-driven molecular design, in accelerating the discovery of high-performance inhibitors is highlighted. Together, these advances offer a comprehensive and forward-looking perspective on developing adaptive, efficient, and environmentally compatible corrosion protection strategies for next-generation hydrocarbon extraction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Coating Protection Technology in the Oil and Gas Industry)
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