[ End User Interview ] some areas, we had to move to nickel alloys to ensure integrity,” he notes. In 2016, Dr Nabhani was appointed Head of Materials and Corrosion Engineering at PDO, later progressing to Materials and Integrity Manager, overseeing around 75 personnel and serving as Technical Authority Level 1. His responsibilities included material selection, standards development, inspection strategies and integrity management, as well as testing, qualification and contractor oversight. He also took on a category management role, focusing on procurement strategy and supplier optimisation. More recently, he became Production Chemistry Manager, leading over 150 personnel and managing contracts worth approximately USD 1.3 billion. Reflecting on his career progression, he emphasises the importance of continuous development.“ Whenever you take on a new challenge, you improve your knowledge and leadership,” he says.“ If you stay too long in one role, you stop growing- and that’ s something I always try to avoid.”
[ End User Interview ] some areas, we had to move to nickel alloys to ensure integrity,” he notes. In 2016, Dr Nabhani was appointed Head of Materials and Corrosion Engineering at PDO, later progressing to Materials and Integrity Manager, overseeing around 75 personnel and serving as Technical Authority Level 1. His responsibilities included material selection, standards development, inspection strategies and integrity management, as well as testing, qualification and contractor oversight. He also took on a category management role, focusing on procurement strategy and supplier optimisation. More recently, he became Production Chemistry Manager, leading over 150 personnel and managing contracts worth approximately USD 1.3 billion. Reflecting on his career progression, he emphasises the importance of continuous development.“ Whenever you take on a new challenge, you improve your knowledge and leadership,” he says.“ If you stay too long in one role, you stop growing- and that’ s something I always try to avoid.”
A challenging corrosive environment Operating conditions in Oman present a wide range of corrosion challenges, making PDO a uniquely demanding environment for materials engineers.“ To be honest, we face all types of corrosion,” Dr Nabhani says.“ It’ s a very good environment for corrosion engineers to learn.” Among the most significant challenges are high levels of hydrogen sulphide( H 2 S) and chlorides, which can lead to sulphide stress cracking and other forms of environmentally assisted cracking. Carbon dioxide corrosion is also prevalent, often resulting in general corrosion and weld preferential attack.“ We also see microbiologically influenced corrosion, oxygen ingress corrosion, and pitting,” he adds.“ In some cases, pitting can progress to cracking.” Dead-leg corrosion is another recurring issue, particularly in areas where stagnant conditions develop.“ These design features can create localised environments that accelerate corrosion,” he explains. One particularly interesting phenomenon involves duplex stainless steel in intermittent service conditions.“ When duplex pipelines are left stagnant for extended periods, and preservation is not adequate, we have observed corrosion initiating at welds,” Dr Nabhani notes.“ There is a perception that duplex is inherently resistant, but under certain conditions, it still requires careful management.” Stray current corrosion presents an additional layer of complexity.“ We have
Meet Dr Talal Al Nabhani at Duplex World
Dr Talal Al Nabhani, Production Chemistry Manager-CFDH at Petroleum Development Oman, is the Chairman for the Duplex World Conference 2026.
Dr Nabhani is the 2026 Chairman of the Duplex World Conference, taking place 6 & 7 May 2026 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. In addition to chairing the conference, he will join a panel discussion on supply chain issues and welcome questions from delegates. For information on attending contact the editor at j. mcintyre @ kci-world. com or visit www. stainless-steel-worldduplex. com