Because of their resistance to high temperature corrosion by hydrogen sulfide, austenitic stainless steels are commonly used for equipment in desulfurization processes. However, these materials are subject to sensitization (chromium carbide precipitation) from exposure in the temperature range of 454-871°C (850-1600°F) during fabrication or operation. Sensitization makes the equipment susceptible to failure from intergranular stress corrosion cracking caused by polythionic acid. Polythionic acid is formed by the interaction of sulfidic scale, moisture, and oxygen at ambient temperature. The stress necessary to produce cracking is usually present as residual stress from fabrication.
© 1978 Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP). All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of AMPP. Positions and opinions advanced in this work are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AMPP. Responsibility for the content of the work lies solely with the author(s).
1978
Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)
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