Unexpected failures of process equipment from corrosion are a daily occurrence in the petrochemical industry. Failures of equipment fabricated from expensive reactive metals are especially costly due to the high replacement costs. To prevent these unexpected failures it is essential to have a thorough understanding of the process conditions and possible sources of detrimental contaminants that may affect the corrosion properties. Several case histories are presented that show how unexpected process conditionscause failure of process equipment.
Keywords: titanium, zirconium, tantalum, failures, nitric acid, NOx, sulfuric acid