The First stage reactor effluent/H2S stripper feed Breech Lock Exchanger made of Carbon Steel tubes (ASTM A- 179) commissioned in 1988 was performing satisfactorily until 2003 in Mina Abdulla Refinery. Subsequently the feed throughput was increased and the feed quality changed with high nitrogen and Hydrogen Sulfide content. Due to the incomplete oil-water phase separation in a cold low pressure separator the water containing ammonium salts in the H2S stripper feed was carried over to the shell of the exchanger. Tubes suffered external corrosion in the form of grooves and pits resulting in severe under deposit corrosion.This paper describes the detail failure analysis carried out and remedial measures taken to prevent such failures in future including upgrading the tube metallurgy to high nickel Alloy 625.Key words: Effluent Exchanger Breech Lock Exchanger Under deposit corrosion Carbon Steel Nitrogen Hydrogen Sulfide