Corrosion Safety

Corrosion - some facts

 Directly responsible for about 33 LOPCs so
far in 2001
 £50,000 per year in small replacements
 More in large projects (vessels)
 Largely responsible for why ag. plants are
more costly to maintain
 Limiting factor in life of much equipment
Material selection
Why do we select materials that corrode?
– Availability,
– Corrosion resistance,
– cost,
– Strength,
– Fabricability,
– Appearance
How does corrosion occur?
“Corrosion is the result of a chemical
reaction between the material and
its environment”
•CORROSION = CHEMICAL
•EROSION = PHYSICAL
How does corrosion occur?

FOR METALS, THERE ARE TWO MAIN PROCESSES:

UNIFORM CORROSION NON- UNIFORM CORROSION
 Happens all over the  Occurs in localised
surface of the metal areas
 Examples: rust  Examples: Pitting,
 Generally fairly cracking
obvious  Much more difficult to
detect
Uniform and non-uniform
corrosion
Uniform corrosion
 Most common (and destructive) form of
corrosion on a tonnage basis.
 Relatively easy to predict.
 Prevention normally by coatings (painting),
or by cathodic protection (e.g. galvanizing).
Non-Uniform corrosion
 Seven different types:
• Galvanic (two metal) corrosion
• Crevice corrosion
• Pitting
• Intergranular corrosion
• Selective leaching
• Erosion corrosion
• Stress corrosion (cracking)
Galvanic (two metal) corrosion
Steel coated with less reactive metal
Corrosion
 Needs a solution
Tin (conductor) and two
different metals
Steel
 More reactive protects
less reactive
Steel coated with more reactive metal  Strongest at joints
Corrosion
between metals
Zinc  Worse if reactive
metal is smaller
Steel
Crevice Corrosion
 Occurs in small
stagnant spaces
 E.g. flange surfaces in Flange
contact with a gasket
 Stainless steel is
quite susceptible

Gasket
Pitting
 Looks like small holes in the metal
 Unpredictable time to failure
 Difficult to detect
 Often in Stainless steel
Pitting
Intergranular corrosion
 Most often occurs at
weld joints
 Due to the changes in
material composition
when heated
 Often called weld
decay
Metal

Heat Affected
Weld
Zone
Selective leaching
 Only common example
is dezincification of
brass
 Material goes black
and loses mechanical
strength
Erosion corrosion
 High velocities remove Corrosion
surface film here
 Gets worse with
increasing velocities,
or if particles present
 E.g. pump impellers, … and
steam valves, elbows, sometimes
orifice plates here

 Cavitation
Flow
Stress corrosion (cracking)
 Occurs when physical
stress is present,
along with a corrosive
environment
 Looks like brittle
failure, but is
corrosion
 E.g. Stainless steel
flexible hoses
Materials commonly used on the
plant

……..and how they corrode!

Carbon Steel (mild steel)
 Mostly iron
 Corrodes by uniform
corrosion (rust)
 Protected by zinc
galvanizing (good)
 Also protected by
paint (not so good)
Stainless Steels
 Many different varieties
 All contain iron, chromium and nickel to
increase corrosion resistance
 Rely on surface film (passive layer) to
protect them
 Watch out for non-uniform attack
Other metals
 Aluminium
• Light and strong
• Reacts with caustic (very unusual)

 Copper (including brass and bronze)

• Corrosion resistant but weak
• Can cause galvanic (two metal) corrosion
Other metals (continued)
 Nickel and high nickel alloys
• Include hastelloys, incoloys
• Used for a specific demanding application
 Titanium
• Light and strong (but expensive!)
• Outstanding corrosion resistance to oxidising
environments (e.g. HCU)
• Highly reactive; reacts violently in the wrong
conditions
Plastics and rubbers
 Two types of plastics:
• Thermoplastics (e.g. PP, PVC, PTFE)
• Thermosets (resins, FRP, phenolics, araldite)
 Resistant to acids and alkalis, flexible and
light
 Fail by swelling, dissolution, chemical attack
in liquids
• Look for swelling, sagging, sticky appearance
Plastics and rubbers
(continued)
 Also fail by heat and radiation (sunlight)
• Look for cracking, brittle feel, yellowing
 Main hazard is confusing types
• Particularly with different solvents
• Many look similar
• Failure can be highly unpredictable
• Failure can occur very rapidly
Ceramics and other materials
 Glass
• Chemically resistant, cheap, mechanically weak
• Attacked by caustic, thermal shock
 Graphite & silicon carbide
• Good chemical resistance
• Used in mechanical seals etc
• Brittle and weak
Ceramics and other materials
(continued)
 Concrete
• Many different
grades for
different duties
• Generally attacked
by acids and
chlorides
– Especially HCl
Chemicals

…… and how the corrode the plant!

Hydrochloric
Acid
Hydrochloric Acid
 Strong mineral acid
 Combination of pH and chlorine content
makes it very demanding
 Use lined equipment
 Destroys most metals - DO NOT USE METALS
Sodium Hypochlorite
 Strong oxidising agent
 Causes rapid corrosion in many metals
 Some metals can cause rapid
decomposition of the hypochlorite
 Handle in lined equipment
Sodium
Hydroxide
(caustic)
Sodium Hydroxide (caustic)
 Strong alkali
 Not very corrosive to metals
 Destroys glass, some ceramics, aluminium
 Usually handled in steel (nickel at high
temperatures).
 Avoid high temperatures, stress.
Solvents
 Include methylene chloride, solvesso,
hydrocarbon
 Not very corrosive to metals when clean
 Handle in Stainless Steel
 Caution - exposure to polymers
Organic Acids
 Includes: insecticides
 Weaker than mineral acids
 Handled in stainless steel
 Avoid - water contamination, high
temperatures, stagnant conditions for long
periods
Symtet
 Not very corrosive when dry BUT
 Highly corrosive when contaminated with
water or steam
 Handled in carbon steel (dry) or high nickel
alloys (wet)
 Avoid water contamination, stainless steel
Brine
 Salt / water mixture - often contains other
chemicals
 Handled with carbon steel & extra
corrosion allowance
 Avoid high temperatures, mixing metals
Powders and suspensions
 Dissolving powders
 Materials vary but normally stainless steel
 Avoid unmixed solutions, high velocities
and stagnant conditions
Atmosphere
 Atmospheric corrosion
• Normally on carbon steel
 Made worse by:
• Splash zones (e.g. cooling towers)
• Atmospheric contamination (HCl fumes)
 Eliminate by use of galvanised equipment
Corrosion control

What you can do to reduce it

Tips for reducing corrosion
 Corrosion almost always increases with
increasing temperature
 Consider alternatives to steaming inside
equipment
 Avoid high velocities
 Try to drain equipment if not in use
 Avoid impurities - water (steam)
Tips for reducing corrosion
 Keep conditions as uniform as possible
Avoid ‘differences’ = avoid surprises
• mixing metals
• mixing different chemicals
• uneaven heat or stress loads
• temperature excursions
• pH excursions
THE END

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feedback…..?