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B I O P R O C E S S TECHNICAL

Stainless Steels for

Bioprocessing
Selection, Surface Preparation, and Cleaning
Arthur H. Tuthill and Roger Brunkow

C
ontamination of
biotechnology products
by the materials of
construction used for
vessels, piping, and
other components cannot be
tolerated and limits the types of
materials that can be used. The
biotechnology industry requires
materials of construction that
• are readily fabricated
• withstand repeated batch-to-
batch cleaning and sterilization
treatments
• have long (10–20 year) service
lives A water-for-injection system at Althea Technologies in La Jolla, CA (LEAH ROSIN)
• remain cleanable and
sterilizable over their service lives Properly processed and fabricated Type 316L (S31603) austenitic
• will not contaminate products stainless steels meet these criteria and stainless steel is the basic material of
being processed, and have become the principal materials construction used by the
• are available at a reasonable of construction used in biotechnology industry,
cost. biotechnology and related industries. supplemented by the use of duplex
grades when better resistance to
GRADES OF STAINLESS STEELS stress corrosion cracking is needed
PRODUCT FOCUS: ALL BIOTECH AND NICKEL-BASE ALLOYS or higher strength is required (as in
PRODUCTS
The principal material of centrifuges). The 6% molybdenum-
PROCESS FOCUS: BIOPROCESSING, construction used by the containing austenitic stainless steels
MANUFACTURING, ASEPTIC PROCESSING,
biotechnology and related industries are used when a process is more
EQUIPMENT FABRICATION AND
is Type 316L, Unified Numbering corrosive than can be handled by
SPECIFICATIONS
System (UNS) S31603: the basic Type 316L. Nickel-base austenitic
molybdenum-containing austenitic alloy C276 (N10276) is used for
WHO SHOULD READ: PROCESS stainless steel, with 16.7 ksi ASME the most corrosive services.
ENGINEERS, MANUFACTURING AND design allowable stress (ksi = kips The ferritic grades are designated
MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL per square inch, or 1000 psi). The as the 400 grades of stainless steel in
term austenitic describes a face- the UNS. Ferritic describes a body-
KEYWORDS: STAINLESS STEELS, centered cubic crystal structure that centered cubic crystal structure that
AUSTENITIC, CORROSION, ROUGE,
is tough and ductile especially in the is stronger but less ductile than the
ELECTROPOLISH, ASTM SPECIFICATIONS,
heat-affected zone of welds. The face-centered austenitic structure
ASEPTIC PROCESSING
austenitic grades are designated as and has a harder, much less ductile
LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE the 300 grades of stainless steel in heat-affected zone when welded.
the UNS. The ferritic, 400 series grades are
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used primarily for pins, springs, and

Table 1: Principal elements (percentages) of common wrought stainless steels; the
other such devices that must be balance is Fe, which is not commonly given.
stronger.
Duplex stainless steel 2205: Duplex Name % UNS %C % Cr % Ni % Mo %N
stainless steels are half austenitic and
316L S31603 0.03 16–18 10–14 2–3 0.10
half ferritic, stronger and more
2205 S32205 0.03 22–23 4.5–6.5 3.0–3.5 0.14–0.20
corrosion resistant than the common 254SMO S31254 0.02 19.5–20.5 17.5–18.5 6.0–6.5 0.18–0.22
austenitic grades. Type 2205 AL-6XN N08367 0.03 20–22 23.5–25.5 6.0–7.0 0.18–0.25
(S32550), with 25.7 ksi design- C-276* N10276 0.02 15.5 57 16.0 —
allowable stress, 54% stronger than
* 2.5 Co, 3.8W, 1.0 Mn, and 0.08 Si
type 316L, is representative of the
higher strength, more corrosion
resistant duplex grades used for
centrifuges and larger vessels; its Table 2: Mechanical properties of wrought stainless steels
higher strength permits thinner wall
Tensile Strength Yield Strength Elongation
thicknesses. 254SMO (S31254) and Name UNS ksi MPa ksi MPa %
AL-6XN (N08367), austenitic
grades with 6% molybdenum, which 316L S31603 70 485 25 170 40
also have higher design strengths of 2205 S32205 90 620 65 450 25
254SMO S31254 94 650 44 300 35
23.9 ksi and 27.1 ksi respectively, are
AL-6XN N08367 100 690 45 310 30
the principal grades the
C-276 N10276 100 690 41 283 40
biotechnology industry uses when
greater corrosion-resistant grades are
needed. As mentioned earlier, when PROCUREMENT AND A240, with detailed information on
maximum corrosion resistance is FABRICATION STANDARDS surface condition. Included in A480
required, nickel-base alloy C276 The American Society for Testing is the important distinction between
(N10276), which also has a ductile and Materials (ASTM) has sheet and plate. Stainless steel sheet
austenitic structure, is the grade developed and continues to update and plate can be ordered hot-rolled
usually chosen. Table 1 shows the specifications for stainless steel as it in any thickness, or if less than
composition of these wrought is produced (in sheet, plate, pipe, 3
/16-inch thick, stainless steel sheet
austenitic and duplex grades, and bar, tubing, and castings) and used and strip can be ordered cold-rolled.
Table 2 presents their mechanical for fabrication into pipes, vessels, Cold rolled is preferred to hot
properties. and other equipment. Principal rolled for its much better surface
Although smaller pumps and ASTM specifications used by finish. When wall thickness is
valves can be, and are increasingly, fabricators for purchasing stainless 3
/16-inch or greater, it is often
made from wrought austenitic steels for bioprocessing follow. necessary to improve the rougher
stainless steel bar stock, larger pumps Within most specifications are hot-rolled surface finish by polishing
and valves are made from the cast provisions especially useful to as described in A480.
austenitic grades. CF-3M (J92800) bioprocessing equipment suppliers The standard grades of stainless
corresponding to Type 316L is the and users. These are noted. steel have a maximum 2% Mn to
main cast grade used. CF-7M Plate, Sheet, and Strip for Vessels: combine with S, forming MnS
(N08007) is also a widely used cast ASTM A240, Specification for Heat- particles that are strung out in the
austenitic grade resistant to stress Resisting Chromium and Chromium direction of rolling as elongated
corrosion cracking. CD-4MCu Nickel Stainless Steel Plate Sheet and inclusions. Although not harmful in
(J93370) is a cast higher strength Strip for Pressure Vessels, has seven many applications, those MnS
duplex grade. CK-3MCuN variations of the 2–3% molybdenum inclusions form multiple defect sites
(corresponding to wrought grade of Type 316 stainless steel. in electropolished sheet, plate, and
austenitic alloy S254SMO), CK- Basic S31603 is the standard grade bar stock. It is nearly impossible to
3MN (corresponding to wrought used for bioprocessing vessels and electropolish the cross section of bar
austenitic alloy NO8367), and CW- piping. The Type 316LN (S31653 stock where multiple ends of these
2M (corresponding to austenitic grade) with 0.10–0.16 N is stringers are showing. The
nickel-base alloy C276, N10276) are sometimes specified for the biotechnology industry can
more corrosion-resistant cast grades. somewhat better corrosion eliminate the numerous defect sites
The composition and mechanical resistance provided by nitrogen. created by MnS stringers by
properties of cast austenitic and cast Surface Condition: ASTM A480, specifying readily available low-
duplex alloys are similar to those of Standard Specification for General sulfur bar sheet and plate.
the corresponding wrought alloys, Requirements for Flat Rolled Low-sulfur sheet and plate for
except that silicon is increased from Stainless Steel Plate Sheet and Strip, vessels (0.002–0.003% S) is readily
1.0 to 1.5% to improve castability. is a companion specification to
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available today, but low-sulfur, low-
inclusion stock must be specified in
orders for sheet and plate for vessel
construction. Even cleaner, VIM
(vacuum inducted melted) and VAR
(vacuum arc remelted) with minimal
inclusions are also available and
increasingly used when the cleanest
and best quality surface finish is
desired. Low-sulfur and cleaner
stainless steels greatly reduce the
numerous defect sites that occur in
the surface when the standard
grades of stainless steels are
electropolished. The electronics
industry has virtually standardized
on low-sulfur stainless steels to
ensure the best surface finish and
best resistance to rouging for vessels
and piping.
Pipe and Tube: ASTM A270,
Standard Specification for Seamless
and Welded Austenitic Stainless
Sanitary Tubing, includes various
mechanical and electropolish surface
finishes, low-sulfur stainless steel, and
chemical cleaning options needed
for, and frequently specified by the
biotechnology industry. Cold-rolled
stock needs to be specified, because
hot-rolled stock is slightly cheaper
and frequently supplied unless
otherwise specified. Low-sulfur
tubing is readily available by
specifying procurement to
Supplementary Requirement S2.1.1,
which restricts S to 0.005%– 0.017%.
If pipe is ordered to ASTM A312 or
A778 specifications (commonly used
in other industries), the low-sulfur
grade must be specified as an extra
requirement.
Tubing for Heat Exchangers: ASTM
A269, Standard Specification for
Seamless and Welded Austenitic
Stainless Steel Tubing for General
Service, covers heat-exchanger
tubing ¼-inch and larger and
0.020-inch wall thickness and
heavier.
Bar: ASTM A276, Specification
for Stainless Steel Bars and Shapes, is
used for procuring the large number
of small-diameter wrought valves
and fittings used in lieu of cast
material. The cut ends of Type
316L bars expose numerous MnS
stringers, making those ends almost
impossible to electropolish. For the
large number of small diameter
fittings and valves to be made from
bar, low-sulfur bar with minimal
MnS inclusions can be ordered as
SCQ (semiconductor-quality) bar.
SCQ grade bar has 0.010–0.015% S.
Even lower sulfur bar is available on
special order for the best
electropolish finish.

TERMS USED IN THIS ARTICLE

Austenite: Metallurgical term describing a face-centered
cubic atomic structure, that is, a cubic structure with an
atom at each corner of a cube and an atom in the middle of
each face of the cube
Annealing: In reference to stainless steels refers to heating to
high temperatures and quenching in water. Annealing of
carbon and low-alloy steels refers to heating to high
temperatures and slow cooling.
Chelating: Chemical term describing treatment of stainless
steel with citric acid plus EDTA (ethylene-diamine-tetraacetic
acid).
Cold-rolled: Metallurgical term describing steel products that
are rolled down in thickness while cold. Cold-rolled
products have a smooth finish.
Detritus: Loose material resulting from wear (grinding and
polishing) or disintegration.
Duplex: Metallurgical term describing an atomic structure
that is half austenite, half ferrite.
altered by the heat of welding, and a heavier oxide film has
formed.
Hot-rolled: Metallurgical term describing steel products that
are rolled down in thickness while heated to high
temperatures that produce red colors.
MnS stringers: Manganese combines with sulfur, forming
manganese sulfide particles that are strung out and elongated
in the direction of rolling. Multiple strings of manganese
sulfide stringers are strung out in the direction of rolling. In
any cross section, there are multiple cut ends of these
stringers.
Nickel-base alloy: An alloy with 50% or more nickel.
Passivate: Stainless steels are naturally passive (not actively
corroding) and resistant to corrosion as the term stainless
implies. Hence, it is somewhat misleading to “passivate” an
already passive material. The term passivate generally refers
to a cleaning treatment, usually in nitric acid, widely used
for cleaning stainless steels after fabrication

Electropolish: Chemical term describing the corrosion of a
thin surface layer when a metal is made the anode in a well-
controlled electrochemical circuit.
Ferrite: Metallurgical term describing a body-centered cubic
atomic structure. The term ferritic describes a crystal
structure with an atom at each corner of a cube and an atom
in the center of the cube, hence a body-centered cubic
structure
Pickling: Pickling of stainless steel refers to a treatment in a
nitric-hydroflouric acid bath. The bath actually corrodes a
thin layer from the surface, allowing a clean new oxide film
to reform.
RMS: Root mean square is the term used in describing the
smoothness/roughness of a metal surface. It is found by
taking the root mean square of all the various high to low
points of the surface profile.

Ground and polished (G&P): Metallurgical term describing a Rouge: Rouge is a reddish oxide of iron, but the term is used
surface that has been ground smooth and bright with an in biotechnology and related industries to refer to the black
abrasive-filled polishing wheel or stone to a 120, 180, 360 and variegated colored deposits found on stainless steel
grit or other finish. vessels.

Heat-affected zone: Metallurgical term referring to the Scale: The term used to refer to a heavy oxide layer that
usually discolored zones along either side of a weld and on develops when stainless steel is heated to high temperatures
the side opposite, where the metallurgical structure has been in a furnace or in the heat-affected zone of welds.

48 BioProcess International DECEMBER 2004

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CLEANING FABRICATED EQUIPMENT
ASTM A380, Standard Practice for
Cleaning, Descaling and Passivation
of Stainless Steel Equipment and
Systems, and ASTM A967, Standard
Specification for Chemical
Passivation of Stainless Steel Parts,
are widely used to cover final
cleaning of fabricated and machined
equipment. Both recognize that the
widely used nitric acid passivation
treatments, though useful, cannot
be relied on for complete removal of
embedded iron. Pickling in nitric-
HF per Table A2.1 part 1 of ASTM
A380 or electropolishing per ASTM
A967 are necessary for complete
removal of heat tint and embedded
iron. Chelating treatments per A380
are very effective in removing
embedded iron, but they are
ineffective in removing heat tint
scale from welds.
AUSTENITIC STAINLESS
STEEL PUMPS AND VALVES
Castings for pumps, valves, and
other cast components are normally
procured to ASTM A743, Castings,
Iron-Chromium, Iron-Chromium-
Nickel, Corrosion Resistant, for
General Application, which does not
require postweld heat treatment
after “minor” weld repairs. Because
postweld heat treatment after all
weld repairs is necessary to reduce
rouging, it is better to procure cast
components to ASTM A744,
Castings, Iron-Chromium-Nickel, for
Severe Service, which requires
postweld heat treatment after all
weld repairs have been made.
Neither A743 nor A744 requires
removal of scale formed during weld
repairs and heat treatment. Scale
removal is necessary for
bioprocessing and must be specified
as an extra requirement.
OTHER STANDARDS
ASME has developed a very useful
Bioprocessing Equipment Standard
(BPE 2002) for this industry, which
covers additional requirements
beyond those of the ASTM
standards. In addition to materials
specifications, the BPE standard
covers the design, fabrication,
50 BioProcess International DECEMBER 2004
11:41 AM Page 50
inspection, certification, cleaning,
sterility, and surface finish of piping
and vessels. Unfortunately, its
present version allows ground and
polished finishes, which are major
sources of rouge. Fortunately, a
proposal for inclusion of an
electropolished finish in lieu of a
ground and polished finish is under
consideration for BPE Standards
and may soon be adopted.
Dairy Industry: 3-A Sanitary
Standards is widely used by the
dairy and other industries concerned
with surface condition and
cleanliness. Many equipment
suppliers for bioprocessing supply
the dairy industry as well and are
quite familiar with the cleanliness
requirements of this standard.
Industrial Piping: ASME B31.3,
Process Piping, is used by a number
of industries for procurement of
piping systems and piping
components. It covers mechanical
property requirements, but not the
cleanliness required by the
bioprocessing industry.
Federal Food and Drug Regulation:
Appendix 4 of the Pharmaceutical
GMP Annex of the US FDA deals
with cleanliness required for
handling food and drugs.
ISPE: The series of Baseline
pharmaceutical engineering guides
also deal with cleanliness
requirements.
CORROSION RESISTANCE
CONSIDERATIONS
Stainless steels owe their corrosion
resistance to a thin, tough,
adherent, and protective iron-
chromium-nickel oxide film
enhanced by the addition of
molybdenum to the chromium-
nickel grades of stainless steels. The
basic Type 316L grade with 2–3%
molybdenum (especially the low-
sulfur version) has been and is likely
to continue to be the principal
material of construction used by the
bioprocessing industry.
Metallurgists and engineers have
become increasingly aware of the
role that the normal iron-
chromium-nickel oxide film plays in
protecting stainless steel from
corrosion and also the role it plays
in preventing release of ions into the
product being handled. The thin
film that protects stainless steel from
further corrosion is breached
wherever manganese sulfide
particles, present in most stainless
steel, penetrate the surface. This
protective film can also be breached
in tight stationary crevices (crevice
corrosion), under adherent deposits
(under deposit crevice corrosion),
and in some aggressive media by
pitting corrosion on boldly exposed
surfaces (1, 2). Finally, the protective
film can be destroyed in some low
pH and especially aggressive media,
such as HCl, where the film
provides little resistance to further
corrosion.
For most bioprocessing
applications, the media are not
aggressive enough to require
upgrading from Type 316L, but
they are often aggressive enough to
take advantage of defects in the
protective film. Reducing MnS
defects in the film by specifying the
low-sulfur grade of Type 316L and
strengthening the protective film by
electropolishing makes Type 316L
even more useful to the
biotechnology industry. These steps
have greatly reduced rouge
formation and made electropolished
low-sulfur Type 316L almost
standard for the electronics industry.
The bioprocessing industry has
done an excellent job of minimizing
crevices that would otherwise lead
to both crevice corrosion and batch-
to-batch contamination. Unless
baffles are required, the interiors of
vessels are smooth, clean, and free
of crevices. When baffles are
required, baffle-to-vessel-wall welds
should be continuous with as
smooth a weld contour as possible.
For bioprocessing, special piping
joints can minimize the crevices
common at standard flanged joints.
Welds are smooth, clean, and flush
with the surface. The clean-in-place
(CIP) procedures the industry uses
to clean vessels and piping between
batches remove residues and
deposits that might otherwise lead
to under-deposit crevice corrosion.
Film defects are of primary
concern to the bioprocessing
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industry. The most common film
defects in the protective film
protecting stainless steel are the
common MnS inclusions present in
most grades of stainless steel. As
mentioned earlier, Mn is added to
stainless steel to combine with S and
is present as MnS stringers oriented
in the direction of rolling and as
multiple inclusions in the surface.
Each MnS particle in the surface is a
defect site in the thin protective film
where crevice corrosion and/or
pitting may more easily occur. Low-
sulfur stainless steels with minimal
MnS inclusions are available today.
However, the low-sulfur version
must be specified in procurement as
outlined above. For best
performance, low-sulfur sheet, plate,
strip, tubing, and bar are almost
mandatory for the bioprocessing
industry, as indeed they already are
for the electronics industry.
ROUGE
Rouge is an iron oxide film that
forms on the surface of stainless
steel with the industrial use of
distilled and high-purity water. It is
a form of superficial corrosion that
goes unnoticed and unreported in
most industries, but it is a major
problem wherever exceptional
cleanliness is required. Rouge has
four principal sources: cast stainless
steels used for pump impellers and
valves, vapor compression stills,
ground and polished surfaces, and
chromium stainless steel
components used in pins, discs,
seals, snap rings, and other
components requiring greater
strength than can be offered by
austenitic stainless steels. Rouge
manifests in two ways: as a dark
deposit that wipes off on a clean
white rag, and/or as a multihued
deposit that adheres tightly and will
not rub off on a white rag.
Tverberg identified three types of
rouge (3):
• Rouge generated from external
sources — cavitation (pump
impellers), erosion, foreign sources,
carbon steel or low alloy nuts, bolts,
springs, snap rings, and so on
52 BioProcess International DECEMBER 2004
Page 52
• Rouge from in situ oxidation
of stainless steel as from
mechanically polished and
nonchemically passivated surfaces;
such surfaces release significant iron
into the process environment
• Black oxide from surfaces in
high-temperature service.
Reduction of Rouge: Cast stainless
steels are a primary source of rouge.
Smaller valves and fittings can be
and are increasingly produced from
low-sulfur SCQ bar stock to reduce
the MnS inclusions present in most
castings. Cast pump casings,
impellers, and valves can be ordered
to ASTM A744 instead of A743.
A744 requires solution-annealing
heat treatment after all foundry
weld repairs, making such castings
less vulnerable to localized corrosion
and rouge formation at weld repair
sites. Neither A743 nor A744
requires annealing after weld repairs,
leaving such castings more
vulnerable to localized corrosion
and maximizing rouge formation.
Specifying pickling or
electropolishing after the final
solution annealing step will remove
scale formed during annealing.
Pickling or electropolishing will
leave the castings in their most
corrosion-resistant condition and
reduce rouge formation from cast
stainless steels.
Vapor Compression Stills:
Requiring pickling or
electropolishing of vapor-
compression still components after
fabrication will leave the surfaces
within these stills in their most
resistant condition. Some
manufacturers do a thorough
pickling or electropolishing of all
still components after fabrication.
Ground and Polished Surfaces: The
ground and polished (G&P)
surfaces, though bright and clean to
the eye, contain heavily cold-
worked, highly distorted grains
loaded with silica, grinding residue,
and detritus, all of which contribute
to rouge formation. The oxide film
on G&P surfaces is thinner, weaker,
and more easily penetrated, again
contributing to greater rouge
formation. Prohibiting G&P finishes
except at welds and specifying
electropolishing as discussed below
will eliminate almost all of the rouge
that forms on, or comes from
ground and polished surfaces (4, 5).
Series 400 Chromium Stainless Steel
Components: Specifying duplex
stainless steel and nickel-base alloys
such as alloy 625 and C276 for pins,
discs, snap rings, and other items
requiring higher strength will
eliminate series 400 ferritic
chromium stainless steels. Such
steels are less corrosion resistant and
are quite susceptible to rouge
formation.
Rouge Transfer: One main and
troubling aspect of rouge formation
is its frequent appearance
downstream of its origin. For
example, cast stainless steel pump
impellers are known to be a primary
source of rouge. However, the
impellers themselves are often bright
and shiny, with no visible rouge
when examined. The rouge from
the impellers is deposited in piping
and vessels downstream. Removal of
rouge that deposits downstream
from where it is formed does little
or nothing to reduce further rouge
formation or deposits.
ELECTROPOLISHING
Electropolishing is very useful in
removing the surface layer of
distorted grains and embedded iron
and detritus contamination
characteristic of G&P and as
fabricated stainless steel surfaces (6).
The process corrodes the peaks of
the surface profile, opens its
detritus-filled valleys, and smooths
the surface. In terms of RMS,
electropolishing reduces the surface
profile by about half. For example, a
surface with a good RMS 20 profile
will have an even better RMS 10
profile after electropolishing.
Specifying removal of at least
0.0005 inch from the surface by
electropolishing will eliminate
widely specified but ineffective flash
electropolishing. Flash
electropolishing removes little if any
of the distorted, detritus-filled
surface layer. Specifying removal of
no more than 0.001 inch from the
surface will prevent removal of
excessive material and keep metal
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loss within reasonable limits. Care
must be taken when machined
components are electropolished to
allow for 0.0005–0.0010 inches of
metal loss for closely dimensioned
components. Another useful
criterion is to electropolish until
grain boundaries disappear, which
normally occurs within the
0.0005–0.0010-inch metal-removal
range cited above.
Industries that rely on
electropolishing have found that
when done properly, it removes
embedded iron, detritus, distorted
grains, and embedded grinding
compound from the surface, leaving
a surface clean and in its most
durable and corrosion-resistant
condition. The common nitric acid
“passivation” treatment removes
iron from the film and increases the
Cr/Fe ratio, but it does not remove
distorted grains or all of the iron
often embedded in the surface.
Citric acid: EDTA chelating
treatments, as described in ASTM
A380, are increasingly common.
They effectively remove iron
embedded in the surface, but they
do not remove the thicker oxide
film formed during welding. The
thicker, readily visible oxide film left
by welding must be removed
mechanically by pickling or
electropolishing (7).
RECOMMENDATIONS
To minimize rouge, specify
electropolished surfaces for piping
and vessels and prohibit G&P
surfaces that are a major source of
rouge formation. Electropolishing
standard grades of Type 316L,
although a major improvement over
G&P surfaces, can be improved
further by specifying low-sulfur
sheet, strip, and plate for pipe and
vessels. Specifying removal of at
least 0.0005 inch and no more than
0.0010 inch by electropolishing and
specifying low-sulfur Type 316L will
result in smooth, more uniform,
almost featureless surfaces of 10–20
RMS that have excellent resistance
to rouge formation.
For the large number of valves,
fittings, and small components made
from bar, specify low-sulfur (SCQ)
Page 53
TAKE-HOME POINTS
• Low-sulfur, electropolished Type
316L can be repeatedly cleaned and
sterilized to provide the biotechnology
industry with its most useful material
of construction. In the low-sulfur,
electropolished condition, Type 316L
is quite resistant to rouge formation.
• Rouge formation from cast
components can be greatly reduced by
the use of wrought materials wherever
possible, thereby minimizing the use
of cast stainless steels. When cast
stainless steels must be used,
procurement to ASTM A744 instead of
A743 and requiring pickling or
electropolishing after solution
annealing will greatly reduce rouge
formation from pumps, valves, and
other components that must be made
from castings.
• Rouge formation can be greatly
reduced by specifying electropolished
rather than ground and polished (G&P)
surfaces for vessels and piping.
• Rouge formation in piping can
be reduced by specifying cold-rolled
instead of hot-rolled material for
forming into piping when the wall
thickness is less than 3/16 inch.
• Rouge formation can be reduced
by specifying appropriate higher
alloyed stainless steels and nickel base
alloys for pins, seals, snap rings, and
other similar components and
prohibiting the use of ferritic
chromium stainless steels (Series 400
stainless steels) for such components.
• Duplex alloys are used for
centrifuges and increasingly for
vessels, for which their higher strength
permits thinner walls that offset much
of the higher material cost.
• 6% molybdenum stainless steels
and nickel base alloys are increasingly
used when corrosion resistance better
than that of Type 316L is needed.
bar stock to obtain a good
electropolish finish on the cross
section of components made from
bar. Electropolished SCQ bar will
provide improved resistance to
rouging compared with bar
procured to ASTM A276.
For components that must be made
from castings, specify procurement to
ASTM A744 in lieu of A743. As an
additional requirement, specify
pickling or electropolishing after
solution annealing to remove scale
formed during solution annealing.
Procurement to A744 followed by
pickling or electropolishing will
minimize rouge discharge from cast
components.
REFERENCES
1 Kain RK, Tuthill AH, Hoxie EC. The
Resistance of Types 304 and 316 Crevice
Corrosion in Natural Waters. J. of Materials
for Energy Systems 5(4) 1984: 205–211.
2 Tuthill AH. Usage and Performance
of Nickel Containing Stainless Steels in
Natural Waters and Brines. Materials
Performance, July 1988: 47.
3 Tverberg JC, Ledden JA. Rouging of
Stainless Steel in High Purity Water Systems.
Presented at Preparing for Changing
Paradigms in High Purity Water, 27–29
October 1999 (San Francisco, CA). Institute
for International Research: New York, NY;
www.iirusa.com.
4 Collins SR. Stainless Steel for
Semiconductor Applications. Presented at
39th Mechanical Working and Steel Processing
Conference, October 1997 (Warendale, PA).
The Iron and Steel Society (now the
Association for Iron and Steel Technology):
Warendale, PA; http://iss.org.
5 Tverberg JC. Conditioning of Stainless
Steel Surfaces for Better Performance. Stainless
Steel World, April 1999.
6 Electropolishing: A User’s Guide to
Applications, Quality Standards and
Specifications. Delstar: Houston, TX, June
1992.
7 Tuthill AH, Avery RE. Stainless Steel
Surface Treatments. Encyclopedia of Chemical
Processing and Design, 54. Marcel Dekker:
New York, NY 1998: 257–267.

Corresponding author Arthur H. Tuthill
is a corrosion consultant, 33 Glade
Court, Altavista, VA 24517,
1-414-369-4502, fax 1-434-369-4679,
MrTurtil@aol.com. Roger Brunkow is
president of the Society of
Bioprocessing Professionals,
Indianapolis, IN.
DECEMBER 2004 BioProcess International 53