Cause of stress-corrosion cracking in pipe
Carbonate-bicarbonate has been identified as the environmental species responsible for stress-corrosion cracking (SCC) in the majority of studied field failures of natural-gas pipelines. Battelle Columbus Division, Columbus, Ohio, studied approximately 30 SCC field failures of natural-gas pipelines form a 20-year period beginning in 1965. The results of the study also reject hydroxide (caustic) as a significant factor in these failures. Stress-corrosion cracking in natural-gas transmission pipelines has been recognized as a serious problem for a number of years. But there remains considerable controversy concerning the environmental species responsible for the cracking. One opinion has held that carbonate-bicarbonate promotes cracking, while another attributes the cracking to hydroxide (caustic). This issue is important because the feasibility of mitigation procedures based on potential control depend upon the chemical species responsible for the cracking. Moreover, it is important for the laboratory studies aimed at SCC mitigation to simulate closely the field failures. Both carbonate/bicarbonate and caustic environments can result from application of cathodic protection to a pipeline. The cathodic current applied to the pipeline accelerates the rate of the reduction reactions occurring on the pipe surface, promoting generation of hydroxide.
- Research Organization:
- Battelle Columbus Div., Columbus, OH
- OSTI ID:
- 7000954
- Journal Information:
- Oil Gas J.; (United States), Vol. 85:1
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
42 ENGINEERING
ACID CARBONATES
CORROSIVE EFFECTS
CARBONATES
NATURAL GAS DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS
PIPELINES
CATHODIC PROTECTION
CRACK PROPAGATION
STRESS CORROSION
BENCH-SCALE EXPERIMENTS
CHEMICAL REACTION KINETICS
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
FAILURES
HYDROXIDES
MITIGATION
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CORROSION
CORROSION PROTECTION
CURRENTS
ENERGY SYSTEMS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
KINETICS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
REACTION KINETICS
032000* - Natural Gas- Transport
Handling
& Storage
420205 - Engineering- Transport & Storage Facilities- (1980-)