Look at our corrosion – shocking! Terrifying!
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This post was last edited by New Life Propositions on 2010-9-20 at 10:59. There is an electric heater in front of the reactor in our medium-scale hydrogenation unit. During a routine inspection, it was found that the wall thickness of the heater had thinned in several places. After removing the outer insulation layer, we were shocked to see that the upper part of the heater was severely deformed. Our operating conditions are as follows: Process – hydrogenation refining of lubricating oil; it may contain chlorides, but at extremely low concentrations, usually only a few dozen ppm, with occasional levels of up to several thousand ppm. Material: The heater housing is made of carbon steel, while the inner core of the heater is made of stainless steel; what is visible here is only the outer housing part. Logistics: Heat enters from below the heater and exits from above; the temperature rises from 150’C at the inlet to around 300’C at the outlet. Pressure: 4Mpa. What are your thoughts, friends, on this corrosion issue?
The photos look pretty scary; if this leaks, it will definitely be a major disaster
There is obvious localized overheating; it should be replaced immediately. The cause must be thoroughly investigated, otherwise serious problems will indeed arise.
Reply to 3# dpec: Thank you for the comment. We are currently investigating the cause; local overheating could be the reason.
How could it be this serious? Is there an issue with the choice of material?
Based on experience, overheating is the most likely cause, with little connection to corrosion.