Materials Selection for Process Plants and Facilities Training

Introduction

Many engineers regard materials selection as an activity associated with the design and construction of new facilities, plant additions, or revamps. However, materials selection is also a part of a plant’s routine maintenance activities. It is often the subject of discussion between operations, planning and maintenance personnel. Such discussions frequently illustrate that the materials selected for short-term solution differ from those adopted for long-term solutions. In either case, the material selected, along with the specified fabrication procedures, must satisfy regulatory requirements. Thus, the process of materials selection must accommodate variable materials selection criteria including those of the governing engineering and inspection codes.

This course is intended for engineers involved in the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of plant facilities. Its purpose is to assist these engineers in the selection of materials of construction suitable for piping and equipment. The focus of this course is on hydrocarbon and chemical process plants.

The course focus is on conveying practical knowledge regarding materials and corrosion engineering to help the participants develop an understanding of corrosion and other degradation phenomena such as embrittlement. The information presented will help the participants to recognize the threshold conditions that increase the risks of materials degradation. In addition, testing procedures that can help assess degradation risk are discussed, as are appropriate mitigation measures. This knowledge is essential for making good materials selection decisions.

Objectives

Upon the successful completion of this course, each participant will be able to:-

• Apply proper techniques in materials selection for process plants and facilities
• Identify the materials selection criteria covering the mandatory requirements, design conditions and temperatures, process and special requirements and template information
• Describe the corrosion basics of cathodes and anodes and employ control techniques including barrier coatings, cathodic protection, anodic protection, passivation and polarization
• Define metallurgy and recognize the alloy designations, manufacturing effects, metals and alloys, non-metallic materials, coatings and linings
• Determine failure modes of the embrittlement phenomena, high-temperature effects and corrosion
• Employ corrosion testing and explain the criteria, procedures and exceptions of materials selection
• Discuss the various case studies pertaining to hydrocarbon, petrochemical and chemical processes
• Illustrate the material curves and graphs as well as employ material special applications 

Training Methodology

This is an interactive course. There will be open question and answer sessions, regular group exercises and activities, videos, case studies and presentations on best practice. Participants will have the opportunity to share with the facilitator and other participants on what works well and not so well for them, as well as work on issues from their own organizations.

Who Should Attend?

This course provides an overview of all significant aspects and considerations of materials selection for those who are involved in the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of plant facilities. Experienced designers, engineers and materials engineers will benefit from the practical approach of this course. For inspection and maintenance people, the course will offer background information that can be used to recognize and evaluate corrosion in the plant and used to plan effective inspections. For the less experienced personnel, the course will offer a unique introduction to the problems that are encountered in operating plants and some of the techniques used to ameliorate the corrosion and degradation.

Course Outline

Day 1: Materials Selection Criteria

• Mandatory Requirements
• Design Condition
• Design Temperatures
• Process Requirements
• Special Requirements
• Cost Considerations
• Life Expectancy

Corrosion

• Introduction
• Corrosion Basics (Cathodes and Anodes)
• Corrosion Control (Coatings, Linings, Cathodic Protection, Anodic Protection & Inhibitors)

Metallurgy

• Metallurgical Definitions (Heat Treatments, Microstructural Terms & Metallurgical Terms)
• Alloy Designations
• Manufacturing Processes
• Metals and Alloys (Cast Iron, Carbon Steels, Micro Alloyed Steels, Low-Alloy Steels & High Alloys and Non-Ferrous Materials)
• Non-Metallic Materials (Plastics, Elastomers, Carbon & Graphite, Glass, Cement, Refractories & Wood)

Day 2: Metallurgy 

• Coatings and Linings (Introduction, Thick Dielectric Barrier Coatings, Thin Dielectric Barrier Coatings, Thick Metallic Barrier Coatings, Thin Metallic Barrier Coatings, Sprayed Metal Coatings, Galvanizing & Other Coatings)

Failure Modes: Embrittlement Phenomena

• Introduction
• Carbon and Low-Alloy Steels (Temper Embrittlement, Creep Embrittlement, Strain Ageing, Hydrogen Embrittlement, Caustic Embrittlement & Low-Temperature Embrittlement)
• Stainless Steels (Ferritic Stainless Steels: 885OF (475OC) Embrittlement, Martensitic Stainless Steels, Austenitic Stainless Steels: Sigma Phase Embrittlement, Duplex Stainless Steels
• High Alloys
• Hydriding

Failure Modes: High-Temperature Effects

• Mechanical Effects (Introduction, Creep & Stress Rupture)
• Metallurgical Effects (Sensitization, Spheroidization and Graphitization of Carbon Steels & Welding)
• Chemical Effects (Carburization, Fuel Ash Corrosion, Hydrogen Gas, Nitriding, Oxidation, Suffixation & Sulfidic Corrosion)
• High-Temperature Alloys

Failure Modes: Corrosion

• Corrodents (Acids, General, Inorganic Acid, Organic Acids, Acid Salts, Amines, Ammonia, Carbon Dioxide, Caustics, Chlorides, Flue Gas, Hydrogen Sulphide, Insulation, Oxidants, Water & Seawater)
• Microbiology Influenced Corrosion (Introduction, Effect on Materials of Construction & Mitigation Methods)
• Stress Corrosion Cracking (Introduction & Crack-Inducing Agents)
• Wet Sour Service (Low-Risk Service, Simple Wet Sour Services & Severe Wet Sour Services) Corrosion Allowance (Design Life, Vessels, Heat Exchangers & Tanks & Piping)

Day 3: Corrosion Testing

• Introduction
• Important Variable (Continuous Processes, Batch Processes, Temperature, Pressure, pH, Velocity & Process Chemistry)
• Test Methods (Real-Time Versus Accelerated Test, Metals & Alloys, Plastics & Elastomers) Designing a Corrosion Testing Program (Existing Processes & New Processes)

Material Selection Criteria

• Product Contamination
• Reliability

Materials Selection Procedure

• Low-Temperature Toughness
• High- Temperature Degradation
• Grouping Process Regions
• Upset Conditions
• Corrosion
• Material Selection Diagrams

Day 4: Materials Selection Specific Equipment

• Piping
• Pumps
• Fabricated Equipment

Case Study #1: Hydrocarbon Processes

Case Study #2: Petrochemical Processes

Case Study #3: Chemical Processes

Day 5: Material Curves & Graphs

Materials of Construction as a Function of Temperature

• The de-Waard-Milliams CO2 Nomograph
• Caustic Soda Service
• The Nelson Curves
• The McConomy Curves
• The Couper-Gorman Curves

Material Special Applications

• Wet Sour Service Notes
• Guidelines on Chloride Stress Corrosion Cracking of Austenitic Stainless Steels
• Use of Ryznar and Langelier Indices for Predicting the Corrosivity of Waters
• The Galvanic Series in Seawater
• The NACE Graphs of Materials Selection for Sulfuric Acid, Hydrochloric Acid and Hydrofluoric Acid
• Referenced Material Alloys