During a past inspection performed in a severely blistered H2S absorber column, it was found that post weld heat treatment (PWHT) produced high-temperature hydrogen attack in the carbon steel around pre-existing hydrogen blisters. In the present investigation an attempt has been made to quantify the extent of the damage by simulating PWHT in carbon steel in the presence of high hydrogen pressure. A special cold-walled autoclave was used to perform the high-temperature hydrogen attack tests. The internal hydrogen pressure existing in typical hydrogen blisters was estimated by means of finite element analysis. At the temperatures used, hydrogen attack started to occur at about 30 minutes exposure. The results indicate that hydrogen attack damage can extend or even exceed a depth equivalent to a corrosion allowance of a pressure vessel.
Keywords: Wet H2S Service, Hydrogen Blistering, Carbon Steel, Post Weld Heat Treatment