Abstract
ABSTRACTFlare tip is an important safety feature of most oil and gas producing and processing facilities. They are used extensively in the hydrocarbon and petrochemical industries as a system to achieve safe and reliable gas release during a plant upset or emergency situation. In this study, a detailed metallurgical investigation of failed smokeless flare tip stack drums at natural gas liquid fractionation plant was performed. Environmental scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis and Vicker's microhardness measurement analysis showed severe intergranular cracking damage initiated from the edge of the barrel. Formation of non-protective oxide and Ni-rich sulphide was detected along with the formation of corrosion products and scale primarily at cracks. These findings suggested that the flare tip stack drums have experienced frequent flame impingement or internal burning which promoted microstructural changes in the material and high-temperature corrosion, leading to crack initiation and growth and subsequently resulted in failure.
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