Across the petrochemical industry in Saudi Arabia, asset efficiency and integrity is under intense scrutiny, driven by major production targets, pressure on energy costs and the drive to improve equipment performance. While many are investing in new capacity to meet rising demand, there is an increasing imperative to also optimise existing, often aging assets, running equipment more intensively for longer periods between shutdowns.  

This shift is crucial to ensure the Kingdom can deliver on its output goals, but asking for more from existing mission critical equipment also intensifies the need for robust and preventative O&M strategies.  

The drive for higher efficiency 

Today’s petrochemical plants are operating in an environment where incremental improvements matter. Higher temperatures and pressures, increased feedstock flexibility and extended run lengths are all being used to maximise production and reduce operating costs.  

These strategies can deliver improved throughput, fewer planned shutdowns as well as lower maintenance and capital expenditure. However, as operating severity increases, equipment is exposed to harsher conditions for longer periods, and that changes the corrosion equation.  

Corrosion under high-severity conditions 

Corrosion is already a well understood risk in refineries. But when equipment is pushed beyond traditional operating envelopes, corrosion mechanisms can accelerate rapidly.  

Elevated temperatures, aggressive process chemistries and longer cycles can all increase material degradation across critical assets such as reactors, heat exchangers and piping systems. In these environments, corrosion can quickly become the limiting factor on performance.  

These dynamics are increasingly evident in Saudi Arabia, where natural gas is being positioned as a cornerstone of the Kingdom’s long-term energy mix under Vision 2030. As large-scale, high pressure gas developments accelerate, many handling H2S-rich streams, corrosion control has become central to sustaining efficiency.   

The limitations of traditional approaches 

 Conventional corrosion mitigation methods were largely developed for lower-severity operation and shorter run lengths. Under today’s higher temperatures, aggressive chemistries and extended cycles, organic coatings degrade rapidly. Material upgrades become costly and disruptive, and increased maintenance frequency directly erodes the efficiency gains operators are trying to achieve. In some cases, traditional approaches also introduce new constraints.  

“Conventional repair methods would have added 10-12 days to the turnaround schedule”, one refinery noted, “creating significant production and cost impacts”.  By contrast, the use of High Velocity Thermal Spray (HVTS®) enabled targeted protection without extending outage duration. This highlights how advanced corrosion solutions can directly influence operational flexibility and overall efficiency.  

As a result, operators are often forced into a trade-off: pushing equipment to achieve higher throughput and efficiency, while accepting higher corrosion risk, or constraining operating severity to remain within the limits of traditional corrosion protection methods. 

Neither is a sustainable solution.