Stress corrosion cracking in Type.316 plates of a heat exchanger

In Jam petrochemical complex (JPC), Iran, the plates (ASTM A.240 Type.316) of some heat exchangers have been damaged due to the occurrence of cracks at the sitting place of gaskets. A comprehensive failure analysis including the chemical analysis, visual inspection, optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of the cracks spread over the plates together with the energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) of the corrosion products and the measurement of chloride and sulfide ions content of the process water were employed for the examination of the failure mode and its causes. The obtained results indicate the building-up of the chloride and sulfide ions at the crevices between plates and gaskets at high temperature leads to stress cracking corrosion (SCC) of the plates. Moreover, the simultaneous presence of chloride and sulfide in the media hastens the SCC failure in the heat exchanger plates.