The Importance of Corrosion Control and Protection Technology in the Refinery

Abstract

This paper presents the importance of corrosion control and protection technology with a real case study of heater tube rupture damaged by High temperature H2S-H2 corrosion in the refinery. The heater was operated at the Hydrocracking unit and the operation temperature and pressure was 340 ℃ and 18 kg/cm3 respectively. Top side of the convection tube was thinned by high temperature hydrogen sulfide and hydrogen gas as a uniform corrosion and finally ruptured under operation pressure. Damaged area (Convection tube zone) was blocked by protection wall, so it was impossible to inspect with conventional nondestructive examination. Instead the elbow area which is out of the protection wall was inspected regularly to evaluate the corrosion rate of convection tube indirectly. However the operation temperature and the phase of the process stream was different between inside the chamber and outside the chamber. As a result, it caused severe corrosion to the horizontal convection tube inside the chamber comparing to the elbow outside the chamber. Finally convection tube was corroded more rapidly than the elbow and ruptured after 13 years operation. Because of the rupture, the heater was totally burned and the operation was stopped for 3 months until it has been reconstructed. To prevent this kind of corrosion problem and accident, corrosion control should be strengthened and protection technology should be improved.