The 4th Quarter 2008 issue of Petroleum Technology Quarterly contains an article, pp 137-149, discussing sulphidic and naphthenic acid corrosion in refining operations. The article summarizes 40 years of collective experience. The article discusses the interaction of sulphur and naphthenic as co-corrodants. In some cases increased corrosion is observed, and in some cases actual corrosion is less than conventional wisdom suggests.
The article suggests the use of API RP 581 can be augmented in certain cases by laboratory testing. The resulting test data can be used in material selection. The conditions are: (1) sulphur dominated conditions, (2) naphthenic acid dominated conditions, (3) high wall shear stress conditions, and (4) a safety factor.
The article was authored by Honeywell, a member of MTI. The authors are Brian Chambers and Russ Kane. Russ is now retired from Honeywell.
Submitted by:
Emory A. Ford
MTI Associate Director
21 November 2008