Chloride stress corrosion cracking of precipitation hardening SS impellersin centrifugal compressor. Laboratory investigations and corrective actions

Citation
F. Fantechi et M. Innocenti, Chloride stress corrosion cracking of precipitation hardening SS impellersin centrifugal compressor. Laboratory investigations and corrective actions, ENG FAIL AN, 8(5), 2001, pp. 477-492
Citations number
5
Language
INGLESE
art.tipo
Article
Categorie Soggetti
Mechanical Engineering
Journal title
ENGINEERING FAILURE ANALYSIS
ISSN journal
1350-6307 → ACNP
Volume
8
Issue
5
Year of publication
2001
Pages
477 - 492
Database
ISI
SICI code
1350-6307(200110)8:5<477:CSCCOP>2.0.ZU;2-8
Abstract
17-4 PH, precipitation hardening stainless steel (ASTM A 705 Grade 630), is widely employed in several industrial fields because of its favourable com bination of excellent mechanical properties and good corrosion resistance. An important application of 17-4 PPI is the construction of centrifugal com pressor impellers, where performance benefits from the steel's high mechani cal resistance even when it is necessary to limit hardness, for example, as per NACE MR0175, to avoid devastating sulphide stress cracking phenomena i n sour environments. Nevertheless, there has been a case in which impellers made of 17-4 PH have been subject to failures. It was a centrifugal compre ssor employed in a gas lifting service in which the fluid entrained water w ith a high level of salinity. Laboratory failure analysis attributed the da mage to chloride stress corrosion cracking phenomena and was followed by a study on the behaviour of 17-4 PH in chloride-rich environments and on the action to take to avoid damage causing forced outages and loss of productio n. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.