Patent ID: 8507034

Claim:
A process for applying corrosion inhibitor inside a hydrocarbon pipeline carrying a hydrocarbon mixture where a corrosion inhibitor is delivered to the gas space in the line for the length of the pipeline, the process comprising: a) adding a foaming agent, a corrosion inhibitor and a foaming gas to the hydrocarbon pipeline, wherein the foaming agent and corrosion inhibitor are chemically compatible with the hydrocarbon mixture to form a foam with a concentration of corrosion inhibitor carried in the foam to contact the top of the line within the pipeline and that maintains a volume of corrosion inhibitor carrying foam sufficient to continuously apply the foam to the top of the line along the full extent of the pipeline, wherein the foaming agent is selected from the group consisting of: alkylpolyglycoside, sodium olefin sulfonate, and sodium olefin sulfonate, and wherein the corrosion inhibitor is selected from the group consisting of: octylamine caprylate, a fatty acid imidazoline/amide, and decylamine caprylate; and b) adding a foam breaking agent to the pipeline at the end of the line to break the foam and render the foam substantially non-foaming to prevent foaming during subsequent processing thereof.