Experience of Cracks in Overlay/Clad

Hydrotreater Equipment Growing Into

Base Metal

By Gerrit Buchheim, P.E.

Gerrit Buchheim, P.E.

 32 Years US and International Refining Experience on owner

and consultant side
 Involved in API 579-1/ASME FFS-1, API 571, API 941, API 934,
API 939-C, and API 581 development
 API SCCM, NACE STG 34

 Certified API trainer for API 579 and 571

 API 581 Implementation

 Expert in creep, HTHA, and wet H2S cracking

 Have dealt with cracked equipment for almost 30 years

 Overview

 Background
 Damage Mechanisms
 Where Damage Occurs and Examples
 Inspection Methods
 Detailed Exchanger Example
 Coker Heater Elbow Example
 Conclusions
 Background

 Hydrotreater reactors and exchangers are commonly

constructed with 1.25 or 2.25 Cr alloys and are clad
or overlaid with austenitic stainless steels
 In most cases cracks in cladding/overlay terminate at
the base metal interface, but unfortunately there are
examples where this is not true
 This presents an integrity challenge for inspection
 Background – Damage
Mechanisms
 Reactor and exchanger Overlay/Clad cracking
mechanisms:
● Hot cracking during solidification
● 885F or sigma phase embrittlement
● Cl SCC and PASCC
● Thermal fatigue
● Overstress (RTJ’s)
 Base Metal Cracking Mechanisms
● Sulfide Wedging
● Thermal Fatigue
● Temper and hydrogen embrittlement
● Sulfide Stress Cracking
 Where Damage Occurs

 RTJ’s
 Pass Partition Plates
 Nozzles
 Tray rings and attachment welds – elephant stools
 Base metal- near seam welds
 Other examples in others services
● Coke drums
● Weld overlaid hardfacing
 Examples

 Hydrocracker tray ring cracks in service and then

during PWHT
 Elephant stool cracking
 Pass partition plate
 Base Metal (detailed example)
 Exchanger Cracking

 High pressure exchangers, built in 1971

 2.25Cr -1 Mo base metal
 J Factor 250-350
 PWHT’d, but still high hardness at fusion line
 Overlay cracking believed to be hot shortness and
thermal fatigue
 Base metal cracking due to hydrogen
embrittlement of temper embrittled material and
unfavorable microstructure
Shell
Crack Removed
 Overlay (dark)
Base Metal (light)
 Overlay (dark)
Base Metal (light)
 Inspection Results

 Exchanger had not been pulled for many years

 PT revealed numerous surface indications
 Performed phased array UT and found cracking 75%
through-wall in 4 inch shell thickness
 Confirmed by grinding
 Cracking worst at shell to flange area, but all shell
circular welds were in bad shape
 Observed one other time in similar exchanger but
at a nozzle; deep cracks into base material, whereas
other cracks did not propagate
 Inspection Recommendations

 Phase array UT
 TOFD
 PT can be misleading, since many cracks in base
metal that did not appear to be surface breaking
 Straight beam UT for RTJ cracks and PT
 Cracks typically take many cycles to grow into base
metal
 Elbow Example

 Coker Heater outlet elbow 9Cr with hardfacing

 Leaked on line after short time
 Found that hardfacing had cracks as expected after
welding
 Elbow was PWHT’d, but high hardness found in
zone adjacent to overlay
 In this case cracks proceeded by thermal
fatigue/sulfide wedging
Elbow Example
Elbow Example
Elbow Example
Hardfacing (light) and
Base Metal (dark)
Crack Tip
 Conclusions

 Most cracks arrest when cladding or overlay cracks

 However, a few do propagate- some risk factors:
● Temper embrittled
● Hydrogen embrittled
● High strength or Hardness (lack or incorrect PWHT)
● Cycling
 Inspection is challenging, but need to look with
sophisticated methods
 Can evaluate cracks with FFS API 579-1/ASME FFS-1
Questions???

Gerrit M. Buchheim, P.E. (Ohio)

Vice President and Principal Engineer
20600 Chagrin Blvd. Suite 1200
Shaker Heights, OH 44122
Phone: 1-216-283-6020
Mobile: 1-216-256-6020
gmbuchheim@equityeng.com

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