In the last few years, several cases of Cl’ SCC have been identified in insulated duplex pressured equipment (process piping and pressure vessels), operating at temperatures up to 150°C.
Following removal of the insulation, roughened component surfaces have been observed due to pitting corrosion and contamination/debris underneath the insulation.
Traditional PT and MT has a maximum application temperature between 40°C to 60°C, fluorescent penetrants will begin to lose their fluorescence at 93˚C, which is one of the reasons why dryer temperatures are not to exceed 71˚C per ASTM E-1417 6.6.2. These temperatures are below critical Cl’ SCC temperature for duplex, therefore are not considered an option for in-service inspection for this degradation mechanism. There is therefore a need for an inspection technology for early detection of developing cracks.
The focus of this work will be on crack detection only and will not consider measurement of crack depth.