Case Study

pHilmPLUS* 5K15 Filming Inhibitor Resolves

Corrosion and Safety Concerns in Sour Environment
Background
A French refinery faced tremendous corrosion and
safety issues in the overhead system at their sour
water stripper. Severe corrosion was found in the
overhead, but was also seen in the overhead lines,
water drum, and reflux line. Corrosion in the reflux
line, especially downstream of the reflux pump,
measured, on average, 40 mils per year. The corrosion and subsequent equipment failure at this
location also led to H2S (hydrogen sulfide) emissions, a major safety concern.
The feed to the sour water stripper was FCCU
overhead wash water, and contained high levels of
ammonia, amines and H2S.
Because of EHS (Environmental, Health, and Safety)
risks related to the high H2S concentration in the
flow, NH4HS (ammonium bisulfide) levels were not
measured often. The few analyses that were made
revealed a high (10-15%) concentration of NH4HS
in the reflux line sample. Typically, any concentration greater than 4% indicates the potential for
corrosion. Deposit analysis confirmed that the
problem in this case was primarily due to NH4HS
salts and the associated under deposit corrosion.

Solution
GE Water & Process Technologies determined that
an effective corrosion protection program required
a product that could both film the metal surface
throughout the overhead system and disperse
salts as well. pHilmPLUS* 5K15 filming inhibitor
was selected, as it is specifically designed for sour,
high pH environments, and is also a very effective
salt dispersant. It is robust enough to resist corrosion attack, even in the aggressive conditions
found in a FCCU overhead. An improved monitoring program was also initiated.

Initially, pHilmPLUS 5K15 was injected at 75 ppm,

(based on overhead feed rate) directly into the
overhead line to immediately protect the entire
overhead system, including condensation drum
and reflux line. Once a strong enough protective
film was established, the chemical dosage was optimized to approximately 30 ppm.

Results
The initial high chemical dosage quickly reduced
corrosion rates and established a tenacious film
that protected the metal surfaces throughout the
overhead system.
With the customers approval, the program was
optimized to the lower chemical dosage, with the
assurance that the system could tolerate a 3 day
chemical outage. As it turned out, ongoing corrosion monitoring demonstrated that the pHilmPLUS
5K15 program continued to provide protection
even after the injection was stopped for 15 days.
Finally, by controlling corrosion in the reflux line,
H2S emissions ceased and the associated safety
issues were resolved.
pHilmPLUS 5K15 helped meet a corrosion rate target of 2 mpy, and the ongoing program has been
able to maintain reliable, effective corrosion control (<3 mpy average) for more than 5 years.

Find a contact near you by visiting www.ge.com/water and clicking on Contact Us.
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2012, General Electric Company. All rights reserved.
CS1409EN.doc Jun-12