Most vessels and thermal dimple jackets for use in high purity applications, such as the
pharmaceutical, biotech, food, dairy, and beverage industries, are constructed from type 304
(S30400) and mainly 316L (S31603) stainless steel. In these industries an embossed dimple
jacket attached to the outside wall of the vessel usually performs product heating and cooling.
With a dimple jacket either steam, cooling water or other media is passed through the
interconnecting channels created by a network of dimples. The design typically involves a thin
sheet of stainless steel shaped to create a network of dimples that is welded to the much
thicker vessel wall. The severity of the thermal stresses and strains during rapid heating and
cooling along with the corrosive conditions makes 316L dimple jackets susceptible to
premature failures. This paper discusses the possible failure modes of type 316L dimple
jackets including chloride stress corrosion cracking (SCC), crevice and pitting corrosion,
thermal fatigue, and possible fabrication defects. The improved performance of S32101, a
lean duplex stainless steel, is discussed and the results of qualification tests comparing 316L
(S31603), S32101, and alloy 625 (N06625) are presented.