Minimum Design Metal

Temperature (MDMT)

Presentation: Thai Truong

Apr 17, 2014

Brittle Fracture Phenomena

Definition of Brittle Fracture
Brittle fracture is a sudden, often catastrophic failure which is inherent to
brittle materials. It involves little or no deformation, and has been
experienced in pressure vessels, tanks, and pipes.

Brittle Fracture Phenomena

In some reactions and processes, loss of process control can result in a
significant change in temperature and/or pressure. The result can exceed
the intended limits of the materials selected. Thus, where cryogenic fluids
are being processed, a reduction in pressure could lower the temperature
of the fluids to a level below the minimum allowable design temperature of
the equipment, with the attendant risk of a low-temperature brittle fracture.
An example of this phenomena is when high levels of pressurized gases
are released into a piping system. The quick depressurization creates the
possibility for auto-regeneration of the piping materials that may cause
brittle fracture.
Below are typical depressurization times for high pressure systems:

Brittle Fracture Phenomena

At normal or high temperatures, a warning is normally given by plastic

deformation as signs of potential vessel failure:

Bulging
Stretching
Yielding
Cracking
Leaking

At low temperature condition, no such warnings of plastic deformation

are given.
An abrupt fracture at low temperature condition can cause a
catastrophic event due to fragmentation of the structure and fast
release of energy.
It is a major concern in failure of pressure vessels, heat exchangers,
and piping.

Brittle Fracture Phenomena

As the metal temperature decreases, many metals loose their ductility and
toughness. They become susceptible to brittle fracture.
Brittleness indicates that the material is prone to failure without
deformation. Examples of brittle materials:
- Chalk
Brick
- Glass
Hardened steels
Brittle materials are prone to fracture when they are stressed in the vicinity
of a notch or stress concentration. Brittle fractures are infrequent, most
occur during hydrotest rather than in operation.

Brittle Fracture Phenomena

Toughness is the opposite of Brittleness, is the materials ability to resist
brittle fracture.
Toughness depends on:
- material strength
- thickness
- temperature.
To resist brittle fracture, higher strength materials and thick materials
require greater toughness than low strength and thin materials.
Steel lose toughness as temperature decreases.

Brittle Fracture Phenomena

Four main factors, in combination, can cause brittle fracture of steel
vessels:
- low temperature
- loading
- susceptible steel
- crack / stress risers

Brittle Fracture Phenomena

Low Temperature Factor
A metal depending on its toughness property has a transition temperature
range within which it is in a semi-brittle condition ductile to brittle transition.
Although the transition occurs over a temperature range, a point within this
range is selected as the transition temperature to delineate the boundaries of
ductile and brittle zone. The transition temperature is usually taken as the
point where 50% of the fracture is brittle.
One of the ways to determine this temperature is by performing a series of
Charpy impact tests on materials.
Above the transition range, brittle fracture will not happen, even a notch exists.
Below the transition range, brittle fracture can happen, even no notch exists.

Brittle Fracture Phenomena

The absorbed energy (Joule) is plotted against testing temperature, giving
a ductile to brittle transition temperature curve. Test temperature range
shall be wide enough to establish the upper and lower shelf energies, with
sufficient testing at intermediate temperatures to permit plotting a
reasonable smooth curve.
The curve represents a change in fracture behavior from ductile at high
temperature to brittle at lower temperature.

Brittle Fracture Phenomena

Brittle Fracture Phenomena

Loading Factor
Dynamic loading associated with mechanical/thermal , impact loading,
cyclic loading, or rapid decreases in equipment temperatures is a
contributing factor.
Susceptible Steel Factor
Steel composition. Steel with lower carbon content (C %) have higher toughness.

Phosphorus (P %) has a strong effect in raising the transition temperature and improves
weldability. Steel transition temperature is a function of carbon content plus 20 times the
percent of P.
Steel structure. Grain size has a strong effect on transition temperature. Decreasing the
grain diameter from ASTM grain size 5 to fine grain size 10 can change the 10 ft/lb Charpy
V-notch transition temperature from about 39C to -33C (70F to -60F).
Hydrogen cracks. When hydrogen atoms diffuse into the metal during material
manufacturing operations such as forming, forging and welding or when hydrogen is
introduced to the metal through a galvanic or hydrogen sulfide (H2S) corrosion process,
the metal is prone to hydrogen cracks.

Brittle Fracture Phenomena

Crack/Stress risers
Steel vessels with thicker walls have a greater probability potential for
brittle fracture due to the larger thermal gradient across the wall
thickness. Thicker metal walls can result in differential expansion of
material across the wall thickness and could possibly lead to a crack
occurrence and eventually brittle fracture.
Stress raisers such as sharp or abrupt transitions or changes of
sections, corners or notches (as may be found in weld defects) as a
result of design or fabrication processes are all stress risers, which can
cause stress intensification. The weak points are prone to brittle fracture
when other susceptible conditions exist.

ASME CODE - MDMT

MDMT of Vessels.
The Minimum Design Metal Temperature (MDMT) of a vessel is the
minimum metal temperature in which the vessel can sustain its full design
pressure without having to be impact tested. When the vessel operates at
pressures less than its full design pressure, concessions on MDMT are
allowed based on ASME Section VIII.
Minimum Allowable Temperature (MAT), as defined in API 579, is the
lowest (coldest) permissible metal temperature for a given material and
thickness based on its resistance to brittle fracture. It may be a single
temperature or an envelope of allowable operating temperatures as a
function of pressure. The MAT is derived from mechanical design
information and material specification. MAT at design pressure is MDMT.

ASME CODE - MDMT

Lowest Metal Temperature (LMT) is the lowest metal temperature due to
the operating condition and minimum ambient temperature. LMT may be a
single temperature at an operating pressure or an envelope of
temperatures and coincident pressures. LMT is derived from the calculated
inner wall temperature due to the contained process fluid temperature and
also the minimum ambient temperature.
Determine the MDMT API 510 Welded Storage Tank

ASME CODE - MDMT

Determine the MDMT ASME
To establish a minimum design metal temperature for new equipment,
startup temperature and reasonably expected abnormal operating
temperatures, including autorefrigeration should be considered, as well as
normal operation.
The best available local weather data should be used to establish startup
temperatures if the equipment is not normally preheated. If local
temperature data are not available, the lowest 1-day mean temperature
shown in Figure 4-2 of API-650 can be used.

ASME CODE - MDMT

ASME CODE - MDMT

Fracture initiation in steels was found
to be difficult above a transition
temperature corresponding to a
CVN impact energy of 10 ft-lb.
Crack propagation was found to be
difficult above a temperature
corresponding to 15 to 25 ft-lb.
From these findings, a 15 ft-lb CVN
requirement at the minimum loading
temperatures became a widely used
fracture criterion.

1
1
5

ASME CODE - MDMT

Materials Selection Requirement.
One of two methods is used to assure
steels are used above their transition
temperature:
Impact test exemption curves
Charpy V-Notch impact testing

Application point

15F

The application point is the point

corresponding to the thickness and
minimum pressurizing or design metal
temperature.
A steel has adequate toughness if the
application point is above the steels curve.
To use a steel at an application point below
that steels curve, CVN impact testing is
required to prove adequate toughness.

1.5

ASME CODE - MDMT

The impact-test exemption curves are preferred to CVN impact testing where prior
data or service experience are available. CVN tests increase materials costs
substantially and complicate delivery.

Minimum Pressurizing Temperature (MPT) ASME Code, Section VIII, Division 1

The MPT is the lowest temperature at which a pressure greater than 35% of the
maximum allowable working pressure should be applied to the vessel. Below 35% of
the maximum allowable working pressure, stresses are considered low enough to
essentially eliminate the risk of brittle fracture in the absence of significant other
stresses (such as those due to weight and differential thermal expansion).
Due to increases in ASME code allowable stresses for Division 1 vessels built in 1999
and later, MPT is the lowest temperature at which a pressure >40% of MAWP should
be applied to vessels built in before 1999.

AUTOREFRIGERATION
Autorefrigeration occurs on adiabatic expansion of gasses and boiling of liquids. The
resulting low temperature can bring materials like carbon steel below their ductilebrittle transition temperature resulting in metal embrittlement.
Autorefrigeration temperature is defined as the temperature that the contents of the
vessel would reach if the vessel is depressured to 35% of its maximum allowable
working pressure. If the autorefrigeration temperature is less than 20oF, then the
vessel should be treated as subject to autorefrigeration, and this used as a design
basis to avoid brittle fracture.
Due to an increase in ASME code allowable stresses in 1999, vessels built before
1999 will have autorefrigeration temperatures equal to what the contents would
reach if the vessel is depressured to 40% of its MAWP.
Vessels that are subject to autorefrigeration require additional consideration as
follows: 1. Steels from Curve D of Code, Division 1, Figure UCS-66, should be
used. Typically, carbon steel plate steel should be normalized SA 516.
Forgings may be SA 350-LF2 and pipe SA 333 Gr. 1 or 6.
2. Impact testing is not required for autorefrigeration. SA 350 and SA 333
materials are impact tested in accordance with their respective specifications.

ASME CODE - MDMT

Note: Code Paragraph UCS-68(c)
allows a 30F reduction in impact
testing exemption temperature for P-1
materials (carbon steel) that are given
postweld heat treatment (PWHT) and
PWHT is not otherwise required by
Code.