During plant shutdown maintenance, some components cannot be removed out of service immediately for metallurgical examination due to high cost involved and loss of production hours. The best alternative is to replicate the lab based metallography work under the field conditions. Field Metallography and Replication (FMR) also known as in-situ metallography is a powerful non-destructive test (NDT) tool used to examine the microstructure of the component when it is still in service. Moreover, FMR is also used to study the microstructural alterations for the fitness for service assessment.

This paper provides case studies of materials in Natural Gas Processing facility where FMR was used as an NDT tool without sectioning the component. This paper discusses the damage mechanisms such as sigma phase embrittlement, stress relaxation cracking and creep.

Subject
Sigma phase, Films, Materials, Microscopy, Microstructure, Photomicrographs, Magnification, Flanges, Metallography, Stress cracking, Cracks, Grain, Austenite
Keywords:
Microstructure, Metallography, Replication, FMR, Sigma phase embrittlement, stress relaxation cracking, creep
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2020
Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)
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