Paper No.

10362 2010

APPLICATIONS OF THERMOGRAPHY IN DIAGNOSING

CORROSION AND MATERIAL ISSUES IN TODAY'S REFINERY

Marc D McConnell P.E

The Rust Busters
P.O. Box 2030
Woodville, Texas, 75979

ABSTRACT

Infrared (IR) technology is being used as a visual technique to gather information about potential corrosion in
refinery process equipment. IR technology can be an extremely effective tool used in the identification and
resolution of corrosion issues. It can provide the capability to “see” what is going on within a process system, and
observe real-time results as process changes are made. While there are limitations to IR, these limitations can be
minimized by attaining a greater understanding of the method. Knowing the limitations of IR, and relating the
thermal images to corrosion risks can be a major factor in the identification and control of some corrosion issues.
With many examples of success, you may only be limited by your imagination.

Keywords: Infrared thermography, predictive maintenance, temperature profiles, wash water, Risk Based
Inspection (RBI)

The views and opinions expressed in this paper represent the conclusions and opinions of the author.

INTRODUCTION

IR scans of equipment are capable of showing where heat is being transferred, but it's up to the user to
determine if applications are relevant and results are valid. Before discussing uses of IR to detect corrosion, it's
important to discuss its limitations. First, there are many influences on the target area that will change the
apparent surface temperature such as:

 Surface conditions: dirt, reflection, surface oxides, etc…

 Poorly trained Thermographer.
 Incorrect thermal imaging equipment used.
 Weather conditions for example, high wind can completely obscure thermal data.

Fortunately, most corrosion related trouble-shooting projects do not require precise temperatures, but rather
relative temperature differentials.

Infrared cameras and computers with analysis software have the ability to accurately measure temperatures
and/or identify temperature differences. However, IR is limited by the interpretation of the signature pattern, or
how to create conditions that will accurately identify the actual surface temperatures. For corrosion applications,
determining the accuracy of what you are observing can be important.

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©2010 by NACE International. Requests for permission to publish this manuscript in any form, in part or in whole, must be in writing to NACE
International, Publications Division, 1440 South Creek Drive, Houston, Texas 77084. The material presented and the views expressed in this paper are
solely those of the author(s) and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association.

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 INFRARED – THE TECHNOLOGY

Thermography is a type of infrared imaging. Cameras used in this service detect radiation in the infrared
electromagnetic spectrum and produce images of the surface with information about the surface temperatures. All
objects emit infrared radiation. Based on its temperature, an object will emit more or less radiation. When viewed
by a thermographic camera, warm objects stand out well against cooler backgrounds. As a result, thermography
makes it possible to “see” an object, without visible illumination.

While all objects emit infrared radiation, the emissivity depends on many factors such as temperature,
emission angle, and wavelength. It’s this variation in emissivity that makes attainment of accurate temperatures
very difficult. Even with experience, images can be hard to accurately interpret. A simple example of this is
illustrated in Figure 1. As shown, a grease pencil label on the manway cover of this drum has a distinctly different
o
color. According to the color/temperature chart, this label corresponds to approximately a 10 – 15 F difference.
In reality, the label is the same temperature as the surrounding metal, but the apparent results are skewed due to
emissivity of the different surfaces.

CORROSION APPLICATIONS OF IR

The fundamental purpose of an ongoing IR program as it relates to corrosion applications is simply improved
equipment reliability. This is derived from the fact that IR provides the user with more knowledge to identify actual
operating conditions. The real advantage is that IR lets the user see the results. In some applications, an
alternate to IR is taking temperature profiles of equipment using a contact pyrometer. In other applications, there
is no substitute for IR.

A picture is worth a thousand words, and that’s why an IR image allows for a large amount of data to be absorbed
quickly. Images are often more influential than a substantial amount of text/data.

The following are examples of applications where IR continues to play an integral part as an asset in the
equipment reliability process.

 Evaluation of water wash efficiency (quality and distribution quantity)

 Evaluation of corrosion under insulation (CUI) risk
 Monitoring of process conditions (e.g. stratification) in production tanks.
 Surveillance of refractory-lined refinery equipment for hot spots
 Focusing ultrasonic (UT) surveys to the higher risk locations
 Determination of flow patterns in parallel exchanger banks
 Identification of flow patterns in fin fan coolers.
 Flow patterns through demisters
 Operability of coalescers
 Detection of leaks

Evaluation of Water Wash Efficiency (Quality and Quantity)

Water washes are commonly utilized in hydroprocessing units such as hydrotreaters (HTU) and
hydrocrackers (HCU). Corrosion and fouling associated with ammonium salts have been a significant issue in
some hydroprocessing units. A NACE survey of industry experience reported in 1975 and a recently-issued
American Petroleum Institute (API) Recommended Practice concluded that Reactor Effluent Air Cooler (REAC)
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corrosion is a complex phenomenon that is affected by many variables . Many of the more specific survey
conclusions regarding the effect of system design, water injection rates, and salt concentrations thereafter
became industry learnings.

The API Committee on Refinery Equipment sought to understand these types of failures and prevent similar ones
in the future2. This study highlighted several key aspects of the design, operation and inspection of these REAC
systems. Two of the key aspects included the following:

 properly designed wash water injection and REAC header systems to maximum uniform distribution of the
water, and
 maintaining sufficient water as liquid after injection

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 Proper Design: Distribution – REAC inlet piping should be designed such that reactor effluent is distributed
as uniformly as possible to each air cooler inlet nozzle and to each tube in the air cooler. If there is severe
maldistribution, the concentration of the corrosive salts found in the water starved bank could be substantially
higher than the bank receiving significant water flow. IR allows the ability to survey the inlet piping for distribution
problems. Figure 2 is an illustration of equal distribution between the three fin fan coolers. All inlet temperatures
are relatively the same, indicating there is an equal amount of flow in each. The flow does enter from the right,
and really close observation will indicate slightly decreased temperature as the flow goes from right to left, but
overall, the figure shows desirable distribution.

Wash Water Mixing. – NH4Cl and NH4HS corrosion are usually most severe near the water dew point that
exists at the water injection point. The splash areas on the pipe wall that could experience alternating wet/dry
conditions may be particularly troublesome. If there is insufficient mixing of the wash water with the reactor
effluent to “scrub” the HCl from the vapor, a significant amount of corrosion can occur downstream. IR
Technology offers the opportunity to instantly “see” the operations of a static mixer. Figure 3 is an illustration of
water being injected prior to a static mixer. As observed, the process flow enters from the right. The water
injection is in the middle of the figure (vertical position). As shown, not only is the static mixer achieving total
cooling, but the swirl pattern of the mixer is also evident. This observation makes it easy to determine the
effectiveness of the mixer and the condition of the internals.

Remaining Water - The amount of liquid water remaining after wash water injection is a very important
criterion to be met for prevention of corrosion in the REAC’s. The amount of liquid water remaining after water
injection can be calculated using various process simulation packages, but these simulations rely on many
variables, and the accuracy of numerous instrumentation for physical parameters such as temperature and flow.
Without going through a sensitivity analysis, it’s a shot in the dark as to where to focus ones resources to attain
the best information. As shown in Figure 4, IR can instantly verify (by observation) that liquid water is remaining
after injection. Operational changes can be made and instantaneously evaluated for effectiveness. Figure 4 is a
great illustration of the cooling effects being achieved by wash water being injected into the process stream. As
shown, the water enters from the right (the horizontal line). The injected wash water is achieving the desirable
effect.

Identification of Flow Patterns in Fin Fan Coolers

Distribution through REAC’s can make or break the system. When conducting risk based inspection (RBI) on
air coolers, IR can often be a significant source of information as to the life expectancy of the air cooler tubes.
Because the inlet rows of the tubes are often the most critical to corrosion, a “simple” shot of the overhead
provides a view of how well the product is spread throughout the cooler. Uniform distribution is obviously the
most desirable, and clearly indicates coolers that will have the longest life.

IR inspection over a period of time can easily document patterns that are critical to RBI decisions. These patterns
include:

 uniform distribution
 uniform distribution, with occasional cold spots that move around, and
 non uniform distribution, with long term cold spots.

Take a look at Figure 5. This is an overhead shot of a fin fan cooler. Notice how some sections are considerably
hotter than another. There can be several causes of this, but the result could eventually lead to flow and
corrosion issues. Finding opportunities like this can identify the need for both short term and long term follow-up
actions. IR surveys of this type of equipment may help to eliminate or minimize surprises that occur when the
equipment is opened for inspection.

Evaluation of Corrosion under Insulation (CUI)

Corrosion under Insulation (CUI) is not readily visible, so the traditional method of identifying and inspecting
for CUI has been the costly and time-consuming method of removing insulation for inspection. IR is continually
evaluated as a possible solution to efficiently identify potential CUI. However, a user should consider the

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 variables discussed below when deciding if IR can meet their needs. Using an IR camera is a point and shoot
operation like other cameras, but its results aren’t as easy to interpret. Experience has shown the difference is IR
cameras must include major factors like emissivity and reflectivity.

Advantages. IR does have applications in finding areas of wet insulation which could be causing CUI. More
specifically, IR has the potential to find wet insulation due to the loss of insulating efficiency and the higher
temperatures. Remember, IR scans of equipment are capable of showing where heat is being transferred. The
scans show heat levels only.

Cautions. IR does not have the ability to detect actual CUI. IR also does not detect corrosion that has
previously occurred if the insulation was wet for a time period in the past.

Disadvantages. Wet insulation will maintain absorbed heat longer than dry insulation. Therefore, in theory, all
IR needs to do is depict the hotter areas from the cooler areas. However, there are two major potential
complications with inspection for wet insulation, namely the insulation jacket and the location.

1) Insulation jacket – Insulation jackets typically are made of bright aluminum. The amount of reflection in
this material causes significant reflectivity, and therefore is a source for IR inaccuracies. However, since
detecting major temperature differences is the purpose of the CUI mission, the accuracy of the values
determined aren’t necessarily significant.

2) Location – Another possible influence for detecting wet insulation is the location of the line. Most
insulated lines are in close proximity to other insulated lines or equipment, and as a result, reflectivity on
their insulated jacket covers affects the IR results. Thermal imaging on an insulated line is possible, but
the line has to be remote. Refer to Figure 1 again. This image was initially shot with the intention of
finding wet insulation. Unfortunately reflected emissivity from adjacent equipment provided false
information, and therefore the wet areas did not show up.

Monitoring of Process Conditions in Production Tanks.

Using IR to detect levels in production tanks is simply determining where heat is being transferred. As
always, interpretation of the data is required.

 In a refinery, tanks are in many different services, but those in crude oil service can pose specific corrosion
issues. Crude oil will contain impurities such as salt water that settles to the bottom of a tank. Very often
there are surfactants in the crude that result in the formation of an emulsion layer between the water/solids
and the crude oil. This layer can cause severe downstream corrosion issues by carrying the salts and water
into the processing units. Using IR is a quick method of determining the size of the emulsion layer so
preventative measures can be taken in advance.

 Smaller tanks (500 BBL) are often used for mixing. IR can provide information as to how well the
mixing is taking place, such as a caustic tank. In many refinery applications, strong caustic is purchased and
then diluted for various applications. High strength caustic should not be used in certain areas, so mixing is
important. Figure 6 is an illustration of a tank with four different density materials in it. This may indicate
inadequate mixing, and by seeing this data, it may help avoid unnecessary handling required to sample and
quantify mixing.

Surveillance of Refractory-lined Refinery Equipment

Fluid catalytic cracking units (FCCU) are critical units that significantly contribute to a refinery’s profitability by
cracking low value, asphalt-like material to make higher value products, such as gasoline and diesel. In these
o o o o
FCCU units, catalyst continually circulates at temperatures around 1200 F to 1400 F (650 C to 750 C). The
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catalyst is circulating at high velocity, so it is extremely erosive .

Carbon steel is a material that is typically used in services that are less than 800 oF (425 oC), at higher
temperatures, it has lower mechanical strength, and therefore would require uneconomically-thick walls to
withstand pressure and it use is not permitted by most codes above 1000 oF (540 oC) 4. Therefore, when
constructing a FCCU, the materials engineer has the option of using materials that have a higher operating
temperature, or lining the carbon steel with an insulating lining. High temperature materials are typically more

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 expensive than lined carbon steel. The lining retains much of the process heat, and allows the carbon steel to
operate within its allowable temperature range.

Worldwide, FCCU’s operate reliably utilizing lined carbon steel; however, lining failures remain one of the most
common reasons for unplanned shutdowns of these units. Therefore, the reliability of lined carbon steel
equipment is important to the operation of the FCCU.

Historically, the functionality of the refractory liner was visually inspected during planned shutdowns. Between the
planned shut downs, there wasn’t a practical way to monitor the condition of the liner. IR can provide data on the
temperature of the carbon steel equipment.

Routine IR surveys on this lined equipment have proven extremely beneficial. IR easily identifies failing liners.
While the liner can’t be repaired on stream, a lap patch with temperature resistant material can be installed for
continued operation without interrupting the process. IR can then be used to monitor the surrounding conditions
for any future failures. Figure 7 is an illustration of a carbon steel line with an insulating liner. A quick
observation indicates the bulk of the line is operating very cool and well within the capability of carbon steel.
There is no apparent loss of the liner. In the center of the picture is an insulated check valve (made from a high
temperature alloy). A break in the insulation around the check valve shows a brighter color indicating the actual
operating temperature of the line. This scan easily and quickly proves the integrity of the carbon steel.

Focusing Ultrasonic (UT) Surveys

As stated multiple times in this paper, IR technology simply determines where heat is being transferred. As
always, interpretation of the data is required.

Corrosion is caused by multiple factors, and it’s localized rather than generalized corrosion that typically leads to
failure. This is because localized corrosion is far more difficult to find because of its nature to show up where not
expected.

To ensure the integrity of equipment, industry typically performs UT gauging in areas where corrosion or erosion
is most likely to occur as a method to determine thickness. Detected thinning is quantified to calculate a corrosion
rate, and this is routinely monitored to insure the equipment is reliable. While IR can’t identify where equipment
has thinned, it can identify cooler areas where unexpected condensation or deadlegs may occur. Figure 8 is an
illustration of a line with a deadleg in the bottom of it. Due to changes in process conditions, this line operates at
much lower flow rates than the original design. As a result, there are stagnant areas that can lead to
underdeposit corrosion, and possibly higher velocity areas near the top of the line.

Determination of Flow Patterns in Parallel Exchanger Banks

Parallel exchanger banks are a great way for the designer to build a unit, but can be problematic for corrosion
application. This is because the potential for uneven flow leads to corrosion issues such as:

 hotter exchangers can promote water side fouling

 fouling in low flow exchangers
 erosion in high flow exchangers

IR provides a quick view of what is going on, and the instant ability to immediately evaluate counter balance flow.
Figure 9 is an illustration of 5 parallel banks of exchangers. What is so vividly shown in the vertical lines is the
water (tube side) outlet of these coolers. As shown, this group of exchangers is not temperature balanced. The
first two banks to the left are obviously hotter than the other three, and at the operating temperatures can result in
rapid scaling and fouling.

Figure 10 is a more simplistic picture of inadequate distribution. As shown, the overhead stream from this column
feeds to two coolers. Even with this symmetric process piping, one of the coolers is distinctively hotter than the
other. The cause of this temperature difference is non-symmetric cooling water distribution. As a result, one
cooler will have less flow than the other and therefore more possible corrosion opportunities.

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 Flow Patterns through Coalescers

Coalescer pads are used in many services, and one of their primary function is to remove free liquids from a
vapor stream by separating the two phases. In some cases, liquid carryover in the vapor stream would cause
downstream fouling plugging and fouling that leads to underdeposit corrosion. Figures 11A and B are illustrating
a horizontal vessel that contains a coalescer (in the middle of the vessel). As shown in the drawing, the coalescer
is full circumference of the vessel. However, a glance of the IR picture suggests the majority of the coalescer is
being bypassed (around the bottom). This can create downstream corrosion issues, but this picture identifies the
root cause of those issues.

Operability of Coalescers

Figures 12 and 13 are views of the same coalescer in Figure 11 A and B. As shown, there are distinctively
different results in both of the pictures. Figure 12 has just two levels, while Figure 13 has multiple layers. All of
these pictures were taken over a span of approximately a year, as the efficiency of the coalescer was monitored
for changes.

CONCLUSIONS

The future of infrared thermography in corrosion control and mitigation is only limited by your imagination. While
its ease of use is simply point and shoot, the unfortunate part is that its results aren’t as easy to interpret and
spectacular as depicted by Hollywood movies.

IR scans of equipment just show where heat is being transferred. Proper training, and lots and lots of experience
make a competent Thermographer. Lessons in the use of an IR camera can be learned the hard way. IR
cameras require science in the interpretation of results.

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 100.3°F
100

90

80

70
69.5°F
FIGURE 1 – IR Scan of a Vessel with Grease Pencil Writing on the Manway Cover

FIGURE 2: IR Scan if Inlet Piping to Three Banks of an Air Cooler

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 435.0°F

400

LI01
300

200

100
82.2°F
FIGURE 3: IR Scan of a Static Mixer Immediately Downstream of a Water Injection Point

401.5°F
400

300

200

101.7°F
FIGURE 4: IR Scan of a Water Injection Point at the Inlet to a REAC

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 261.9°F

250
AR04: 172.5°F AR02: 134.0°F

200

150

AR01: 217.9°F 100

AR03: 206.9°F 50

14.2°F

FIGURE 5: IR Scan of theTop Row of Tubes of an Air Cooler showing poor flow distribution.

SP01: 56.8°F 109.3°F

SP02: 76.1°F 100

80

60
SP03: 80.4°F

40

20

SP04: 91.6°F
7.8°F
FIGURE 6: IR Scan of a Tank Containing Four Different Density Stocks

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 825.1°F
800

600

AR01: 857.4°F

400

200

30.5°F

FIGURE 7: IR Scan of a Refractory-Lined CS Pipe with a Unlined, High Alloy Check Valve

SP01: 240.2°F 355.8°F

SP02: 162.5°F

-25.4°F
FIGURE 8: IR Scan of a Line with Low Flow Rates and Stock Separation

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 207.5°F
200

150

100

50

1.8°F

FIGURE 9: IR Scan of Flows to Parallel Banks of Exchangers

95.6°F

90

80

70

63.3°F
FIGURE10: IR Scan of Column Overhead Line Flowing to Two Parallel Exchangers Showing some
Maldistribution

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 FIGURE 11A
COALESCER
PAD

SP01: 117.7°F 119.4°F

SP02: 113.9°F 100

SP07: 96.7°F

80

SP06: 96.5°F
SP03: 110.2°F
SP04: 105.4°F
60
SP05: 105.3°F

44.7°F

FIGURE 11B: IR scan of Horizontal Vessel Containing a Coalescer Pad

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 128.7°F

120

SP01: 81.8°F 100

80
SP02: 119.0°F

60

40
38.9°F

FIGURE 12: IR Scan of Same Vessel with Coalescer Pad

144.9°F

140

LI01
120

100

80
77.9°F

FIGURE 13: Another IR Scan Taken about One Year Later Showing more Temperature Levels which
Indicated a Change in the Coalescing Efficency

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 REFERENCES

1. R.L. Piehl, “Survey of Corrosion in Hydrocracker Air Coolers”, Materials Performance, Vol 15 (1),1976, pp
15-20.

2. API Recommended Practice 932-B (latest version) “Design, Materials, Fabrication, Operation, and
Inspection Guidelines for Corrosion Control in Hydroprocessing Reactor Effluent Air Cooler (REAC)
Systems. (Washington DC: API).

3. API Publication 581, “Risk-Based Inspection Base Resource Document”, First Edition, May 2000, Section
M.5, Equipment Linings Technical Module.

4. ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, various editions. American Society of Mechanical Engineers,
New York.

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