“Progressive Failures of Components in Chemical Process Industry: Case History Investigation and Root-Cause Analysis”

authored by Dr. George A. Pantazopoulos from the Mechanical Testing and Manufacturing Technology Department of ELKEME S.A. and Associate Professor  Pandora P. Psyllaki from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Piraeus University of Applied Sciences was published in the Handbook of Materials Failure Analysis with Case Studies from Chemical, Concrete and Power Industries, Ed. A.S.H. Makhlouf, M. Aliofkhazraei, from Elsevier (Butterworth-Heinemann), 2016.

This essay makes an extensive review of the principal failure mechanisms and environmental degradation processes, occurred in critical parts of equipment in chemical processing plants, which finally induce delayed and progressive damage shortening components’ lifetime. Aggressive service conditions prevailing in chemical plants, such as elevated temperature/pressure and corrosive environment, expand the safety operating limits of engineering materials and key-equipment components at challenging levels of endurance and reliability. Furthermore, the results of the investigation of two respective case histories are thoroughly analyzed and discussed; the evolution of creep damage of a steel pipe operating in a power plant and the stress corrosion cracking (SCC) catastrophic failure of stainless grid used in naphtha production unit in a petrochemical plant. Root-cause analysis through a structured analytical approach is presented together with suggestion for potential corrective actions.