The results of large-scale wet H2S exposure tests which utilized a steel pressure vessel containing various welded test plates are presented. Effects of variables including steel base plate composition, metallurgical processing, welding, applied stress and orientation were examined. Particular attention was given to (1) large-scale behavior versus that determined for small-scale laboratory test specimens under an applied tensile stress, (2) performance of conventional carbon steels versus advanced carbon steels designed for enhanced resistance to hydrogen-induced cracking (HIC), and (3) the interrelationship of stress, welding and plate orientation on the susceptibility to wet H2S cracking. Several non-destructive evaluation (NDE) techniques were also evaluated for their ability to detect and monitor wet H2S cracking. NDE techniques evaluated included wet fluorescent magnetic particle testing (WFMPT), manual ultrasonic testing (MUD, automated ultrasonic testing (AUT) and on-line acoustic emission testing (AET). The results of this program have (1) provided valuable insight on the role of steel quality and microstructure on the susceptibility to wet H2S cracking, (2) demonstrated the effectiveness of various NDE techniques in detecting and monitoring cracking of carbon steel equipment exposed to wet H2S environments and (3) provided valuable data on the residual strengths and toughnesses of steels containing extensive wet H2S damage.

Subject
Sulfur, Hydrogen induced cracking, Materials, Metallography, Stress cracking, Hydrogen charging, Base metals, Tensile stress, Heat, Steel, Stress oriented hydrogen induced cracking, Hydrophobic interaction chromatography, Sulfide stress cracking
Keywords:
blistering, hydrogen induced cracking, stress oriented hydrogen-induced cracking, sulfide stress cracking, carbon steel, nondestructive evaluation, acoustic emission testing, ultrasonic testing, wet fluorescent magnetic particle testing
© 1995 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).
1995
Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)
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