EG 19-6-1.

1 FACILITIES FOR CORROSION MONITORING IN PROCESS EQUIPMENT ENGINEERING GUIDE

(This practice is appropriate for attachment to Inquiry or Purchase Document) Page 1 of 3 Rev. 0 June, 1996

SCOPE 1.1 This Engineering Guide provides information for use by Exxon Engineers in the preparation of Job Specifications and approval of designs of corrosion monitoring facilities to be installed in process equipment. It is a companion document to IP 19-6-1, but it is not necessarily intended to be furnished to a contractor or vendor. SUMMARY OF ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS 2.1 2.2 When developing a corrosion monitoring plan, the process fluid conditions and changes that may affect unit corrosivity should be determined. The monitoring plans should be reviewed by appropriate process and technical personnel. The monitoring equipment supplier should be contacted as necessary for detailed information. This contact is suggested particularly to obtain engineering recommendations for retractable probe installations. MONITORING INSTALLATIONS 3.1 An installation may include only a probe for corrosion or hydrogen activity measurement, a probe with attached coupons, or specimen coupons mounted inside of equipment. The retractable electrical-resistance probe, which can be inserted and removed without equipment entry, is generally preferred for the majority of probe applications to monitor the corrosivity of process streams. An electrical-resistance corrosion probe installation consists of the following, as applicable: a. b. A portable instrument used to measure corrosion rate, or a remote field data logger capable of acquiring corrosion probe data in an automated manner. A retractable probe selected according to the manufacturers rating for the limiting operating pressure, temperature, and the expected pH of the system to be monitored. Note: Long-term reliability may be a problem at temperatures over 500_F. c. 3.3 3.4 A probe blowout preventer (safety clamp) and a retracting system designed with the capability for holding the probe under maximum operating pressure during insertion and retrieval.

3.2

Flush-mounted corrosion probes are recommended for use in mixed-phase (vapor/liquid) environments where the liquid phase is predominantly water and is less than 30 percent by volume of the total flow. Fixed corrosion probes and coupons shall be inserted just before the equipment is placed into service. This is to prevent premature corrosion of the sensing elements. Retractable-type probes with any attached coupons can be inserted after the equipment is returned to service. SPECIFICATIONS

4.1

In preparing specifications for a process stream monitoring system, first preference should be given to a retractable probe for early warning of problems, and retractable coupons for longer term corrosion evaluation. Fixed-type probes should be used only where the operating temperature (typically u1000_F) and/or pressure (typically u1,500 psig) do not permit the use of retractable probes. The Job Specification should include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following for each monitoring location, as applicable: a. b. The Process Equipment Design Conditions Include with the pressure and temperature the probable pH range of the fluid stream. The Precise Location of Each Device The location should be described or shown on a sketch. This should be the point of highest velocity or impingement of the corrosive medium. Where the internal environment is vapor or mixed phase, locate the probe where the condensing aqueous phase is expected to occur. Materials for Connection to Equipment Proper dimensions of the connection (length, diameter and metallurgy) must be specified. Special Requirements for Installation of the Connection This may include instructions on hot tapping of in-service equipment; stress relieving required of welds that must be done with equipment removed from service, providing special means of access to the installation, and certain detailed safety considerations. Description of Monitoring Device to be Used For corrosion probes, the make and type of probe (fixed or retractable), size, materials of monitoring elements, including the seal and fill, gaskets, etc., should be clearly described.

4.2

c. d.

e.

EXXON REGIONAL ENGINEERING GUIDE

EG 19-6-1.1
Page 2 of 3 Rev. 0 June, 1996

FACILITIES FOR CORROSION MONITORING IN PROCESS EQUIPMENT ENGINEERING GUIDE

(This practice is appropriate for attachment to Inquiry or Purchase Document)

SPECIFICATIONS (Cont) f. Consideration should be given to wire the corrosion probes on a unit to ground level. Details should include wire harness lengths, locations of ground level junction boxes, number of probes to be wired to the boxes, and similar information.

4.3

Do not use austenitic stainless steel alloys (300 series such as 304, 316, 321 or 347) for probe equipment connections in chloride environments where they will be subject to stress-corrosion cracking. Consider Teflon coated carbon steel, Alloy 20 CB3 or Incoloy 825 for this service. A corrosion probe housing functions as a cantilever beam and in high-velocity streams sometimes vibrates at its natural frequency, causing fatigue failure. Therefore, probe length should be kept as short as possible. Note: Maintaining a fixed probe length for the majority of applications will simplify the inventory of replacement parts and will improve the ability to safely withdraw probes onstream without inadvertently closing the process block valve on the probe body.

4.4

4.5 4.6

The internal safety stops and velocity deflector shields should be welded or pinned; screwed fittings have worked loose in service. Probes should be used in high-pressure, high-temperature systems only when other methods, such as ultrasonics, radiographs, or removing the equipment from service periodically for examinations, cannot be used. CORROSION PROBE SELECTION

5.1

Corrosion probes of the electrical-resistance type are adaptable for most inspection purposes to determine the corrosion rate occurring over a period of time. These probes may be used in almost any environment. (Use in aqueous solutions may result in high indicated rates due to pitting.) Do not use electrical-resistance type probes in cooling water systems. For high-temperature sulfur corrosion studies, select Rohrback 3500 series probes with a T-20 sensing element or equivalent device from a reputable supplier. Electrical resistance probe elements are normally selected on the basis of life expectancy (usually six months or longer at expected corrosion rates) for the sensing material. Where corrosion is erratic or no data on rates are available, W-40 or T-20 elements, generally provide good balance between sensitivity and service life. Tubular elements are often preferred over wire loop elements because they are less sensitive to pitting and fouling by conductive deposits. Polarization-resistance type probes, are adaptable only for conductive solutions (normally aqueous) in measuring electrochemical corrosion. The corrosion rate can be determined within two to thirty minutes. Although more expensive than corrosometer probes, these polarization probes with instruments are suitable as monitors to indicate and alarm when an increased corrosion rate occurs due to process changes, improper inhibitor additions, etc. An interfering reaction is a possibility in NH3 and H2S solutions when the pH is above 8. CORROSION COUPONS

5.2

5.3

6.1

When specifying corrosion coupons, each location should include at least one control coupon of the same material as that of the equipment under surveillance. This coupon should be representative of the equipment as to chemical composition, heat treatment and thermal history. It may be specified to be strained mechanically for its stress to be representative of the equipment. Corrosion coupons may be mounted in spool-type specimen holders, where simultaneous long-term tests of several different materials are required. For shorter term tests, retractable equipment can be used to install and remove coupons. Corrosion racks for installation within a process vessel should be constructed of a material that will be resistant to the process environment. The bolting or tie wires used to anchor the rack in the process vessel should also be highly resistant to the process environment. HYDROGEN PROBES

6.2

6.3

7.1 7.2

Information covering design, and testing are addressed in IP 19-6-1. For finger type hydrogen probes, the internal volume and external area of the tube element must be known for future data determinations. Internal volume can be determined after final assembly by measuring the volume of gas released after expansion to atmospheric pressure from a known initial pressure. On finger type hydrogen probes, install a pressure limiting valve under the pressure gauge. This will prevent rupture of the gauge bourdon tube if the probe fails and process pressure is acting on the inside of the probe. The pressure limiting valve should be equal to Crosby Chemiequip, Style 403 SS. Set pressure should be pressure gauge full range plus 5 psig.

7.3

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EG 19-6-1.1 FACILITIES FOR CORROSION MONITORING IN PROCESS EQUIPMENT ENGINEERING GUIDE

(This practice is appropriate for attachment to Inquiry or Purchase Document) Page 3 of 3 Rev. 0 June, 1996

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS 8.1 Special attention is required when inserting or removing retractable devices with the process unit on-line. With the required blowout preventer in place, corrosion probes in services with temperatures less than or equal to 150_F and pressures of 100 psig or below may be inserted or removed manually with the aid of long blowout preventer bolting as needed. For pressures above 100 psig, insertion and retrieval must be done with a suitable mechanical device. Also, when retrieving corrosion probes from highly corrosive services, caution is necessary since the entire end of the corrosion probe body may have been corroded away or corroded such that it no longer fills the area of the stuffing box packing. Before insertion of retractable corrosion probes or coupons, the retraction length must be recorded on an 18-8 tag which is wired to the probe body or documented in another retrievable location to ensure adequate withdrawal before closing the block valve for removal. Always make sure when inserting a corrosion probe that the safety clamp (blowout preventer) will keep the probe assembly inside the packing gland when it is finally scheduled to be removed. The corrosion probe housing should be of material capable of resisting any corrosive or failure mechanisms that are known or suspected of being present. Corrosion probe removal from a pressurized system containing toxic substances, materials above autoignition temperature, or burn hazard should be conducted per applicable local safety practices. This is often a two person job. All necessary protective equipment (goggles, gloves, shields, Scott Air-Paks, fire suits, etc.) should be used. If doubt exists as to the condition of the corrosion probe, a radiograph of the probe in its normal test position will usually show whether withdrawal can be done safely. Fixed corrosion probe installations should typically be used only where the probe can be located in a system that can be removed from service. INSPECTION AND TESTING 9.1 9.2 Each corrosion probe installation should be closely inspected and tested to be in compliance with applicable codes and safety practices. Any austenitic (300 series) stainless steel housing should be thoroughly cleaned and dye-checked for cracks before reuse, if it was exposed to a possible chloride containing environment.

8.2

8.3 8.4 8.5

8.6 8.7

6/96

Revision Memo Rev. 0 Original Issue of Engineering Guide

E Exxon Company, U.S.A., Exxon Chemical Americas, 1996

EXXON REGIONAL ENGINEERING GUIDE