During routine inspection of piping in refinery units containing hydrogen at high temperatures and pressures extensive blistering of low alloy steels was found. Blisters were found on piping systems that operated both above and below the limits of the Nelson curves(1) for materials in hydrogen service that were revised in 1977. The physical appearance of the blisters resembled those found in steels that have been severely attacked by hydrogen. They also resemble the blisters that form as the result of hydrogen accumulation from corrosion by aqueous solutions containing H2S and cyanides.(2) This paper reports the investigation of the blistering that led to the conclusion that the deterioration was a new type of environmental degredation in hydrogen service; it has been termed "Methane Blistering". This is a full report of the study mentioned in the paper by Humphries and Sorell(3) on hydrogen damage to equipment presented at Corrosion/78.

Subject
Pipe surfaces, Atomic hydrogen, Materials, Piping, Inspection, Refineries, Furnaces, Methane, Steel, Equipment, Blistering, Hydrogen, Inclusions
© 1979 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).
1979
Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)
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