Significant concerns currently exist regarding the stress corrosion cracking (SCC) behavior of steel
pipeline and terminal facilities used to handle fuel grade ethanol. Various factors have been associated
with ethanol SCC (SCC) of carbon steels and include conditions that promote crack initiation and
growth, corrosion potential, dissolved oxygen concentration levels, water content, and the chemical
species of the ethanol itself. Recently, a comprehensive laboratory testing program was conducted to
investigate and compare the SCC behavior of different fuel grade ethanol feedstock under varying test
conditions. The testing methodology included notched slow strain rate (N-SSR) tests for the
determination of crack growth rates, and threshold stress intensity for SCC using a fracture-mechanics
based approach. The N-SSR tests were further augmented with electrochemical characterizations and pre- and post-test chemical analyses of the ethanol solutions. This paper discusses the testing approach
and summarizes the key findings of this program.
Keywords: slow-strain-rate, stress intensity factor, crack growth rate, ethanol, SCC