CORMET’S CORROSION TESTING

INSTRUMENTS

Juha Piippo
 Company introduction
Cormet Testing Systems
• manufacturer of corrosion testing instruments
• specialised in high temperature high pressure environment
• most customers are related to power generation, oil & gas,
chemical and steel manufacturing labs
• exporting > 90% products mainly to Europe, Middle-East
and Far-East
• a close partnership with Finnish Technical Research Centre
”VTT Industrial Systems”
• H2S related instrument delivered to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait,
Korea, Norway, France and Finland
 Testing in H2S environment: introduction
• corrosion taking place in hydrogen sulphide (H2S)
environment,
• hydrogen as a corrosion product diffuses in steel as atomic
hydrogen
• reforming as H2 in voids or other internal defects and
causes high internal pressure which can lead to cracking
• Hydrogen Induced Cracking (HIC) tests described in
NACE TM-0284
• sulfide induced stress corrosion cracking tests described in
NACE TM-0177 (various kinds of tests)
• SCC tests for CRA’s specified in NACE TM-0198
 HIC test

• 96 hours long test in H2S saturated water (simulated

seawater or acetic acid) after which optical or
ultrasound detection of cracks
• NACE TM0284-2016
• specimen size 100 mm x 20 mm x nn mm
• two pH measurements and at least one H2S content
determination
HIC test: flow sheet
HIC test: cabinet
HIC test: cabinet
HIC test: cabinet
HIC test: cabinet
HIC test: cabinet
HIC test: cabinet
 HIC test: post exposure investigation

• specimen cleaning, cutting, polishing, etching and

microscopic study
• alternatively or parallel 3D NDT tests
 Sulfide Stress Cracking (SSC) tests

NACE TM-0177 names four SSC testing methods:

• Method A: Constant load test
• Method B: Bent-beam test
• Method C: C-ring test
• Method D: Double cantilever beam test
 Sulfide Stress Cracking (SSC) tests

Method A: Standard tensile test

• constant load test
• round tensile specimens
• determined parameter: ”time-to-failure”
• instrumentation: stress ring, dead weight, spring loaded
or ”automatic” constant load instruments
• one specimen in each cell
SSC tests: proof ring
SSC tests: spring loaded CL instrument
SSC tests: automatic CL instrument
 Sulfide Stress Cracking (SSC) tests

Method B: Bent-beam test

• constant displacement test
• three or four point bending test
• bending parameters and specimen geometry specified
also in ASTM G-39
• loading frame and pretension device
• test duration 30 days or until all the specimens are
broken
• test performed in HIC chamber
Method B: FPB device
Method B: FPB pretension device
 Sulfide Stress Cracking (SSC) tests

Method C: C-ring test

• constant displacement test
• basically similar to bent beam tests, but geometry
different
• test duration 30 days or until all the specimens are
broken
• test performed in HIC chamber
 Sulfide Stress Cracking (SSC) tests

Method D: Double cantilever beam (DCB) test

• fracture mechanics test
• measures material’s resistance against crack
propagation in corrosive environment (KISCC)
• pre-cracked specimens
• test duration two weeks for carbon steels, at least 30
days for CRA’s
• test performed in HIC chamber
 Testing in H2S environment

• NaOH preparation and H2S neutralisation management

• test water neutralisation
• safety features: gas management, draft cabinets, H2S
sensors, personal protection, ventilation etc.
• Excel-file for planning the tests and evaluation of
chemical consumption
• complete operation manual, installation and training
 Slow Strain Rate Tests (SSRT)

NACE TM0198 introduces SSRT test for screening

corrosion resistant alloys for stress corrosion crackin sour
oilfield service.
• Typical extension rate 2.54E-9 m/s – 2.54E-7 m/s.
• Corrosive environment.
• A round tensile specimen.
• Most important result: length of the plastic strain and
the decrease of the specimen diameter.
 50 kN SSRT CL / CF instrument

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 25 kN SSRT / CL / CF instrument

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 H2S laboratory

• H2S is a poisonous gas.

• It is often difficult to build a H2S lab in an existing
building due to the safety regulations and employee
resistance.
• Cormet provides complete H2S corrosion labs built in
containers. These labs include all the safety features but
they are isolated from the other lab activities.
• Cormet provides the testing instruments and complete
installation and training.
HIC container lab
Wall mounted gas sensors
HIC container lab
Lab inside
Lab inside
Lab inside
Lab inside
Lab inside
Lab inside
Lab inside
Gas cabinets
Alarm system
Wall mounted gas sensors
HIC test: layout
HIC test: layout