Caustic corrosion cracking of the octene tube in the fertilizer industry. (March 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Liu, Menghao; Zhang, Ziyang; Chai, Peilin; Guo, Chuang; Du, Cuiwei; Liu, Zhiyong; Sun, Meihui; Fan, Endian; Shang, Xueliang; Li, Xiaogang
• Is Part Of: Engineering failure analysis. Volume 133(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-03
• Subjects: Caustic corrosion cracking -- Carbon steel -- Octene tube; System failures (Engineering) -- Periodicals; Fracture mechanics -- Periodicals; Reliability (Engineering) -- Periodicals; Pannes -- Périodiques; Rupture, Mécanique de la -- Périodiques; Fiabilité -- Périodiques; Fracture mechanics; Reliability (Engineering); System failures (Engineering); Periodicals; Electronic journals; 620.112
• DOI: 10.1016/j.engfailanal.2021.105953
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1350-6307

Abstract

Graphical abstract: Abstract: A carbon steel octene tube has leaked from the fusion zone and caused economic losses. The failure process and mechanism were investigated in this work, by means of scanning electron microscope, electron backscattered diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and Scanning Kelvin probe force microscopy. Results showed the failure was attributed to caustic corrosion cracking. The cracking mechanism is anodic dissolution mechanism, including film rupture, intergranular corrosion and repassivation processes. A less corrosion-resistant chemical composition, a larger residual stress after welding and a higher content of hydroxyl ions synthetically resulted in the cracking synthetically. Hydroxyl ions firstly reacted with passive film and caused initiation of intergranular cracks. Residual stress and intergranular corrosion result in an intergranular propagation of SCC cracks.