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Chloride induced stress corrosion cracking of stainless steel thermowells: Potential for ingress of atmospheric moisture

Health and Safety Executive - Safety notice epartment !ame: "ulletin !o: #ssue ate: $arget %udience: &ey #ssues: Hazardous Installations Directorate HID "-"#$% & 'ctober "#$% #ll operators of ma(or a!!ident ha)ard plant E!HD

Ther(owells can )breathe* in at(ospheric (oisture+ if the at(ospher contains halides and the ther(owell is (ade fro( austenitic stainles steel then there is a probabilit, that stress corrosion cracking will occ fro( the inside surface of the ther(owell-

#ntroduction:
This safet, notice describes a specific degradation (echanis( found inside stainless steel ther(owells operating where the e.ternal at(osphere contains halides/ as is t,pical in coastal locations or near to cooling towers- Ther(owells can )breathe* during nor(al operation as 0essels heat up and cool down/ drawing in the e.ternal at(osphere through non gas tight fittings- If the at(osphere contains halides this can lea0e an, stainless steel susceptible to hloride Stress orrosion racking 1 IS 2- The HS3 Research Report 4#" 1Reference $2 co0ers the susceptibilit, of stainless steel to IS in so(e detail and links to other research papers and published docu(ents-

"ackground:
Figure $: T,pical la,out of ther(owell or ther(opipe During routine (aintenance on a refiner,/ a crack was noted on a ther(owell pipe e.tension abo0e a reactor 0essel- loser e.a(ination found other ther(owells to be cracked- The ther(owells were se0eral (etres long and hung inside the reactor 0essel+ the, carried an arra, of ther(ocouples to (easure te(perature at 0ar,ing depths inside the reaction 0essel- The ther(owell e.tensions/ supporting the instru(entation bo.es/ were e.posed to at(osphere and had either screwed or flanged connections to the instru(ent bo.es- 5 t,pical la,out is illustrated in Figure $-

Figure ": T,pical position of IS on ther(owell with screwed connection to instru(ent bo. lose e.a(ination of the full length of a nu(ber of the ther(owell pipes re0ealed stress corrosion cracking fro( the inside of the ther(owell that was (o0ing towards the outside surface- The (a6orit, of the cracking found was in the e.tension of the ther(owell tube abo0e the top of the reactor 0essel 1See figure "2In addition/ cracking had started to propagate in so(e of the tubes 6ust below the top of the reactor 0essel flange 1see figure %2+ had this cracking proceeded to full thickness it would ha0e allowed a release of hazardous substances fro( the reactor through the tube and then to at(osphereFigure %: IS in ther(owell below reactor head The ther(owell breathes during nor(al operation as the reactor heats and cools and this allows the at(osphere outside the reactor to be drawn inside the ther(owell tube during cooling and e.pelled during heating- If the e.ternal at(osphere contains halides/ as is t,pical in coastal locations or near to water cooling towers/ then o0er ti(e the halides will concentrate in cre0ices inside the ther(owell and can initiate crackingThe ther(owell connections to instru(ents are t,picall, not gas tight o0er the pressure range that can be seen inside the ther(owell tube during nor(al use and so breathing through the connection can be e.pected- The te(perature within the reactor 0essel will influence the degree of pressure change and hence the a(ount of at(osphere drawn in each ti(e the ther(owell cools- This in turn will influence the halide concentration inside the ther(owell tube- 5 ther(owell tube heated fro( "# to 7"#8 would e.perience a pressure rise 1assu(ing constant 0olu(e2 in the region of "-7bar- 5ssu(ing this pressure

dissipates through the connections o0er ti(e+ when the ther(owell cools a negati0e pressure is for(ed that draws in the at(osphere-

%ction re'uired:
'perators of plants containing hazardous substances should identif, and register all stainless steel ther(owells on site where failure of the ther(owell could lead to a release of a hazardous substance'perators should then set out an appropriate (aintenance9inspection progra((e/ taking into account the susceptibilit, of stainless steel ther(owells to IS / as described/ the conse:uences of failure and potential release of hazardous substances to the en0iron(ent-

References:
HS3 RR 4#" hloride stress corrosion cracking in austenitic stainless steel- 5ssessing susceptibilit, and structural integrit,

(urther information:
Hazardous Installations Directorate/ E!HD ;nit $ Redgra0e ourt !erton Road <ootle 3"# =HS

)eneral note:
>lease pass this infor(ation to a colleague who (a, ha0e this product9e:uip(ent or operate this t,pe of s,ste(9process-