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CorrosionMonitoringinCrudeUnitDistillationTowerOverheadSystems
Gonearethedaysofsweetcrudeandsimplesolutions
for overhead corrosion control. With declining crude
quality and the high profit potential of using
opportunity crudes, refiners now face a difficult
balancingactofdeterminingtheoptimumcombination
of crude blends, unit operations, corrosion control
programsandunitmaintenancetoachievethehighest
returnoninvestment(ROI).
point,wherethemajorityoftheHClreadilyentersthe
firstwaterphasethatforms.
Other acid gases like H2S, light organic acids, CO2, SOX
based acids are also present in overhead systems. H2S
can accelerate hydrochloric acid corrosion in
unneutralized or low pH conditions. Carbonic acid
(H2CO3) is formed when CO2 dissolves in water. Rough
surfacesareusuallycharacteristicofwetCO2corrosion
when compared to the relatively uniform, smooth
appearanceassociatedwithcorrosionbystrongeracids
such as hydrochloric acid. SOXbased acids, including
sulfurous acid (H2SO3) and sulfuric acids (H2SO4) are
strong and similar to hydrochloric acid in their
corrosiveness; consequently, their control or
eliminationisusuallydesirable.
Other types of salts formed in the process are NH4Cl
andAminehydrochloridesaltsinCDUdistillationtower
overheadsystems.Thesesaltsarehygroscopicandtheir
Neutralizer
Wash
Water
Filming
Inhibitor
Figure1.TypicalCorrosionMonitoringLocationsinCrudeDistillationTowerOverheadSystem
CorrosionMonitoringinCrudeUnitDistillationTowerOverheadSystems
NACE34109(2009Edition),CrudeDistillationUnitDistillation
TowerOverheadSystemCorrosion
H.U.Schutt and R.J.Horvath, Crude Column Overhead
Corrosion Problem Caused by Oxidized Sulfur Species,:
CORROSION/87,paperno.198(Houston,TX:NACE,1987)
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