What are the reasons for severe pipeline corrosion in methanol-to-hydrogen plants?
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I have a system in which a mixture of methanol and deionized water is heated and fed into a reactor for pyrolysis, thereby producing methanol reforming gas. Over the past six months, corrosion and leaks have frequently occurred in the low-temperature pipelines downstream of the reactor. What causes this? Are it the chloride ions in the raw water? Or something else? The pH value of our deionized water is around 5
This estimate is based on the dissolution of carbon dioxide in the condensate into a weakly acidic solution. Are the pipes in this area made of carbon steel or stainless steel? If it contains chloride ions, your catalyst should fail quite quickly, as copper catalysts are sensitive to chloride ions.
Our pipes are made of stainless steel, and they have been in use for over 2 years now without any issues related to corrosion or leaks
In the methanol-to-hydrogen process, the media that have an impact on steel equipment or pipes include hydrogen, formic acid, and trace amounts of carbonic acid; no chlorine, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, etc., have been detected. Over time, hydrogen embrittlement, hydrogen corrosion, hydrogen escape, and formic acid-carbonate corrosion damaged the already substandard pipes (welds, minor defects, inferior materials, nickel-plated carbon steel, etc.), resulting in pipe fractures and leaks. If it is necessary to determine the cause, a material test of the pipe can be conducted.