Systems and methods for continuous measurement of erosion and corrosion in oil and gas facilities

An erosion corrosion detector (ECD) comprising:

• a spool piece housing at least one sensor element and configured to place the ECD in fluid communication with a flowline of a production facility for producing oil, gas, or both, such that the at least one sensor element is positioned across an entire cross-section of the flowline to contact a full stream of fluid flowing through the flowline;
• the at least one sensor element of the ECD comprising a filament layer having a material construction selected to undergo material loss resulting from contact with solids present within the fluid flowing through the flowline in a manner that can be related to erosion, corrosion, or both of one or more elements of the production facility;
• and
• means for measuring a change in pressure drop across the at least one sensor element of the ECD over a period of time, the measured change in pressure drop being indicative of an erosion condition, a corrosion condition, or both at the one or more elements of the production facility.

A system for detecting erosion and corrosion in a production facility for producing oil, gas, or both, comprising:

• a sensor element positioned across an entire cross-section of a pipe in the production facility such that the sensor element contacts a full stream of fluid flowing through the pipe;
• and
• a means for measuring a change in pressure drop across the sensor element over a period of time;
• wherein the change in pressure drop across the sensor element over the period of time can be monitored to identify loss of materials in the system due to erosion, corrosion, or a combination thereof.