Flow-accelerated corrosion assessment for SA106 and SA335 pipes with elbows and welds

Abstract

A FAC (flow-accelerated corrosion) test was performed for a straight pipe composed of the SA335 Gr P22 and SA106 Gr B (SA106-SA335-SA106) types of steel with welds as a function of the flow rate in the range of 7–12 m/s at 150 °C and with DO < 5 ppb at pH levels ranging from 7 to 9.5 up to a cumulative test time of 7200 h using the FAC demonstration test facility. Afterward, the experimental pipe was examined destructively to investigate opposite effects as well as entrance effects. In addition, the FAC rate obtained using a pipe specimen with a 50 mm inner diameter was compared with the rate obtained from a rotating cylindrical electrode. The effects of the complicated fluid flows at the elbow and orifice of the pipeline were also evaluated using another test section designed to examine the independent effects of the orifice and the elbow depending on the distance and the combined effects on orifice and elbow. The tests were performed under the following conditions: 130–150 °C, DO < 5 ppb, pH 7 and a flow rate of 3 m/s. The FAC rate was determined using the thickness change obtained from commercial room-temperature ultrasonic testing (UT).