NACE MR0175/ISO 15156

NACE
International
Seminar

Date 10th Feb 2011

Location Calgary

NACE International 1

Seminar objectives
† To enable the proper implementation of
NACE MR0175/ISO 15156 for oil and gas
production equipment

…and hence help to

„ Avoid costly equipment failures

„ Minimize the health and safety risk to

the public, personnel, and the
environment

NACE International 2
Seminar Agenda
† NACE/ISO Historical Background
† NACE MR0175/ISO 15156 – Part 1 General
Principles
† NACE MR0175/ISO 15156 – Part 2 Carbon
and Low alloy steel
BREAK
† NACE MR0175/ISO 15156 – Part 3 CRAs
LUNCH

NACE International 3

Seminar Agenda (Cont.)

† Maintenance of the Standard

† Outstanding challenges
† Materials testing requirements
BREAK
† Materials Selections/Example Problems
† Open Discussion
 NACE MR0175/ISO15156
Historical Background
A guideline to help A process
prevent started in
environmental 1950 and still
cracking in sour on-going!
production
environments.

NACE International 5

NACE MR0175/ISO15156
Historical Background

† Pre 1975 – Canadian and NACE activities to

avoid SSC failures of carbon and low alloy
steel valves and wellhead equipment

† 1975-2003 – Editions of NACE MR0175

expanding to include all equipment and CRAs

† 1995/6 – Publication of EFC 16 and EFC 17

European standards for materials for sour oil
and gas production
NACE MR0175/ISO15156
Historical Background (Cont.)

† 1995 – Initiation of work on “CRA rewrite” of

MR0175

† 1995 - Initiation of work on ISO 15156 to

bring together EFC and NACE approaches to
produce a single standard

NACE MR0175 before CRA rewrite

– Significant Issues
† As MR0175 continued to expand from 1975 to 2002,
obvious problems surfaced.
† High-temperature SCC of the CRAs
„ Incomplete definition of environment
† Inconsistent alloy requirements
„ “Grandfathered” alloys
† Unclear rules for alloy acceptance
† Laundry list of alloys
† Prescriptive interpretations
† Commercial concerns vs. technical requirements
† Individual ballot items for each alloy
„ NACE process not suited for timely document updates
† One negative rules
„ 2 years to 3 years for acceptance

NACE International 8
NACE MR0175 2003 Rewrite

† Rewrite was necessary to resolve most of

the issues listed above

† 6 years of balloting within NACE

† Rewrite accomplished in 2003 as a

completely new NACE MR0175

NACE International 9

NACE MR0175/ISO 15156:2003

† Brought together eight years’ work by both
NACE and ISO

† ISO developed the framework to

incorporate EFC approaches with those of
NACE to produce a single document for use
worldwide

† Revised CRA requirements adopted directly

into ISO framework to produce new,
combined, technically equivalent, document
in December 2003
NACE MR0175/ISO 15156:2003 (Cont.)
† Introduced a more complete definition of the
severity of environments
„ In-situ pH added to partial pressure of H2S,
chlorides, temperature & elemental sulfur
† Organized CRA groups into tables, using the
variables listed above, and minimum of text.
† Prescribed lab. test methods for qualifying alloys
† Recognized field experience for alloy qualification
„ Alternative to laboratory tests
† Included other forms of environmental (wet H2S)
cracking for carbon and low alloy steels
„ HIC, SOHIC, SWC, SZC
NACE International 11

NACE MR0175/ISO15156:2009:
The document parts Note latest edition
now available

†Petroleum and natural gas industries –

Materials for use in H2S containing
environments in oil and gas production

„Part 1 General principles for the selection of

cracking-resistant materials

„Part 2 Cracking-resistant carbon and low alloy

steels, and the use of cast irons

„Part 3 Cracking-resistant CRAs (corrosion-

resistant alloys) and other alloys

NACE International 12
Target audience for the new
standard
† Users of oil and gas production equipment
† Equipment designers
† Manufacturers, suppliers and purchasers
† Construction and maintenance contractors
† Equipment operators
† Industry regulators
† Materials testing laboratories

NACE MR0175/ISO15156
Part 1

Examples of failures showing equipment that failed

i.e. not micrographs they are saved for later!

NACE International 14
Scope of the Standard
† Requirements and recommendations for
selection and qualification of materials for
H2S service in oil and gas production
† Addresses all forms of cracking caused by
H2S but not other forms of attack
† Applies to equipment using conventional
elastic design criteria
† Not intended for refinery equipment
(NACE MR0103 should be used)
Applies to oxygen free production environments
NACE International 15

Scope of the Standard: Table 1

† Table 1 of all parts lists equipment

considered subject to the Standard’s
requirements and also provides a list of
permitted exclusions, most notably for;

„ A range of drilling and well equipment

„ Some equipment operating at or below 0.45 MPa

(65 psi)
Definition of sour service
† Definition (Part 1, Para. 3.19)

sour service

exposure to (aqueous) oilfield

environments that contain H2S and can
cause cracking of materials by the
mechanisms addressed by this Standard

Part 1 General principles

† Responsibilities for the safe application of
materials
† Evaluation of service conditions to enable
materials qualification and/or selection
using Parts 2 and 3
† Materials description and sampling
† Qualification by documented field
experience as alternative to laboratory
testing
† Reporting of qualification and/or selection
Responsibilities for the safe
application of materials
† Users, NOT manufacturers, are responsible
for defining the environment, for deciding if
the standard should be applied to their
equipment and for material selection

…the equipment user can be:

„ Oil company
„ Contractor (if delegated)
„ Service company (if delegated)

Responsibilities for the safe

application of materials (Cont.)
† Manufacturers and suppliers ARE
responsible for providing materials that
meet:

„ NACE MR0175/ISO 15156 minimum

metallurgical requirements

„ USER-specified additional metallurgical

requirements
 Evaluation of service conditions
† Definition of the severity of production
environments includes

„ Temperature, partial pressure of H2S,

concentration of chlorides, in-situ pH &
presence/absence of elemental sulfur

„ No longer sufficient to order to “NACE”;

degrees of sourness important even for
carbon and low alloy steels

Qualification of Materials for H2S Service:

Material Description and Documentation

† Properties likely to affect cracking

performance in H2S
„ Chemical Composition
„ Method of Manufacture & Product Form
„ Mechanical Properties & Hardness
„ Cold Work
„ Heat-Treatment Condition
„ Microstructure

NACE International 22
Qualification of Materials for H2S Service:
Laboratory Testing or Field Experience

†Laboratory testing under appropriate

environmental conditions using standardized
test methods and acceptance criteria

†Field experience for period of at least 2

years

Both require documentation of the actual or

intended service conditions and the nature
and metallurgical condition of the material
being qualified
NACE International 23

Reporting of materials Qualification

and/or Selection

† Evaluation of expected service conditions

and
† Reference to appropriate material listing in
Part 2 or Part 3
or
† Documentation, for chosen material, of
appropriate field experience or laboratory
testing
General principles and definitions
established in Part 1
† The roles and responsibilities of equipment
users, manufacturers and suppliers (5)
† The applicability of the Standard (Table 1)
† The factors in the evaluation of the service
environment (6)
† The selection of acceptable materials from
existing lists in Part 2 or Part 3
† The required materials description and
materials sampling for qualification (8)

General principles and definitions

established in Part 1 (Cont.)
† The possibility of qualification based on field
experience
† The possibility for qualification based on
laboratory testing for a range of cracking
mechanisms,
† The possibility of qualification of listed
materials to alternative environmental limits
† The possibility of qualification of unlisted
materials to user’s requirements
† The documentation of the materials selection
process
 NACE MR0175/ISO15156
Part 2

SOHIC related failure

of the weld in a spiral
welded X60 carbon
steel pipe

NACE International 27

Part 2 Cracking-resistant carbon and low

alloy steels, and the use of cast irons
† Selection or qualification and selection for
SSC resistance
„ Using earlier NACE MR0175 rules
„ Using the added flexibility of EFC approach

† Consideration of SOHIC and SZC

† Hardness testing using Vickers or Rockwell

methods

† HIC testing requirements

Part 2 Annexes
† Annex A SSC-resistant carbon and low alloy
steels
† Annex B Qualification of carbon and low alloy
steels
† Annex C Determination of H2S partial
pressure
† Annex D Recommendation for determining
pH
† Annex E Information that should be supplied
for materials purchasing

No corrosion resistance.

Definitions
† carbon steel (Part 1, Para. 3.3)
„ alloy of carbon and iron containing up to 2 %
carbon and up to 1,65 % manganese and
residual quantities of other elements, except
those intentionally added in specific quantities
for deoxidation (usually silicon and/or
aluminium)
†NOTE Carbon steels used in the petroleum industry
usually contain less than 0,8 % carbon.
† low-alloy steel (Part 1, Para. 3.14)
„ steel with a total alloying element content of
less than about 5 %, but more than specified for
carbon steel
NACE International 30
Definitions (Cont.)
† Definitions of cracking mechanisms
„ sulfide stress cracking (SSC)
Part 1, Para. 3.23
„ hydrogen-induced cracking (HIC)
Part 1, Para. 3.12
„ stepwise cracking (SWC)
Part 1, Para. 3.20
„ stress-oriented hydrogen-induced cracking
(SOHIC) Part 1, Para. 3.22
„ soft-zone cracking (SZC)
Part 1, Para. 3.18

Selection of carbon and low alloy

steels for SSC resistance: Option 1
† “Conventional” approach based on NACE
MR0175 rules and lists

„ pH2S < 0,3 kPa (0,05 psi) No SSC

requirements

„ pH2S ≥ 0,3 kPa (0,05 psi) Material selection

using Annex A, see later slides

„ Listed materials only, hardness limits apply

Typical SSC crack in steel

Selection of carbon and low alloy

steels for SSC resistance: Option 2
† Flexible approach developed by EFC for
“mildly” sour environments
„ pH2S < 0,3 kPa (0,05 psi) No SSC
requirements subject to some restrictions
for high strength, hard materials
„ pH2S ≥ 0,3 kPa (0,05 psi) Material selection
for different regions of environmental
severity, see Part 2, Figure 1
„ Currently no listed materials in Annex A,
qualification using Annex B required for a
specific service environment
Regions of Environmental Severity for
SSC of carbon and low alloy steels
Option 1 SSC cracking threshold

In-situ pH of
aqueous
phase
User may qualify alloy not
accepted by Option 1 for
specific (milder) sour service

Applies to carbon and

low alloy steels only

Figure 1
NACE International 35

Consideration of SOHIC and SZC

(7.2.2)
† SOHIC and SZC are rare forms of cracking
found in carbon and low alloy steels
„ They are poorly understood but it is
recommended they be considered
„ They affect steels in plate form and their
welded products
„ The risk of these forms of cracking is
thought to be increased by the presence of
sulphur and oxygen
„ B.4 provides guidance on test methods and
acceptance criteria to evaluate resistance
Typical example of SOHIC

4.7X 38X

Photomicrographs showing views of

SOHIC at the edge of visible HAZ,
adjacent to root surface

Hardness Testing using Rockwell or

Vickers Methods
† Hardness control can be an acceptable
means of obtaining SSC resistance.
† Rockwell HRC testing for base materials.
† For welding procedure qualification use
Vickers HV10 or HV5 method or
Rockwell 15N.
† For welding procedure qualification
Rockwell HRC testing acceptable for welds
designed to 2/3 SMYS and given PWHT.
„ Generally, surface wellheads and christmas
trees designed to API Spec. 6A meet these
requirements.
 Hardness Locations for Weld
Procedure Qualification

Use of Vickers for

hardness
measurements.

Customer may choose

Rockwell C only for
API Spec. 6A
equipment.

NACE International 39

Hardness Locations for Weld Overlay

Procedure Qualification

B B
B

Use Vickers Hardness

To Qualify Overlay

C
4 8 12

C 3 7 11

2 6 10
A 13

1 5 9

13 13
Figure 6 from
NACE MR0175/ISO15156-2
NACE International 40
Evaluation of carbon and low alloy
steels for their resistance to HIC/SWC
(8)
† Shall be considered. Affects mainly
equipment made from flat rolled carbon
steels e.g. pipelines and pressure vessels;
steel chemistry plays an important role
† Even trace amounts of H2S can cause
HIC/SWC problems
† Seamless products are rarely affected
† Forgings (S<0.025%) and castings are
generally not considered sensitive
† B.5 provides guidance on test methods and
acceptance criteria to evaluate resistance

Typical examples of HIC and SWC

in pipeline steel
Annex A (Normative)

† SSC-resistant carbon and low alloy steels

(and requirements and recommendations
for the use of cast irons)
„ The following slides reflect some of the
content of this Annex.
„ Annex A (following Option 1 for materials
selection) corresponds technically to the SSC
requirements of NACE MR0175 up to 2003 for
carbon and low alloy steels

General Requirements for Carbon and

Low Alloy Steels: Part 2 Section A.2.1
† Carbon and low alloy steels are acceptable:
„ Hardness limitations, often ≤22 HRC, required
for base material
„ < 1% Nickel
„ Not Free Machining
† Acceptable conditions:
„ Hot-rolled (carbon steels only)
„ Annealed
„ Normalized
„ Various combinations of the above with
tempering

NACE International 44
Welding: Part 2 Section A.2.14
† As-welded carbon and low alloy steels that
comply with the hardnesses in Table A.1 do
not require post weld heat treatment.

† If not compliant, post weld heat treatment

is required at 620 oC (1,150 oF) minimum.
„ Max hardness of 250 HV in the weld zone

† Weld consumables if properly qualified may

contain >1% Ni.
Note: This paragraph is currently subject to an
amendment proposal.
NACE International 45

Summary of Hardness Requirements:

Part 2 Table A.1
Test Methods Test Locations Max.
Hardness
Vickers 10 kg, 5 kg, or Weld root: 250 HV or
HR15N Base metal, HAZ and weld 70.6 HR 15N
root metal (Figures 2,3or4)
Vickers 10 kg, 5 kg, or Weld cap: 275 HV(a) or
HR15N Base metal, HAZ, and weld 73.0 HR15N
metal of unexposed weld
cap (Figures 2 or 4)
Rockwell C As shown in Figure 5. 22 HRC
(a) The maximum shall be 250 HV or 70.6 HR15N unless:
- user agrees the alternative weld cap hardness limit; and
- the parent material (s) are over 9 mm thick; and
Increased weld
- weld cap is not exposed directly to the sour environment
cap hardness can
be acceptable
NACE International 46
Surface Treatments: Part 2 Sec. A.2.1.5

† Metallic coatings, plastic coatings and

linings are NOT acceptable for preventing
SSC.

† Overlays by thermal processes are

acceptable with restrictions.

† Nitriding is acceptable with restrictions.

NACE International 47

Cold Deformation and Thermal Stress

Relief: Part 2 Section A.2.1.6
† Stress relief required for cold work
exceeding 5 %.
„ 595 oC (1,100 oF) minimum

† ASTM A 234 grade WPB or WPC pipe

fittings
„ Unlike conventional 22 HRC max, must have
hardness of 197 HBW max.

NACE International 48
 Tubing and Casing Part 2, Table A.3:
Designations as API Spec 5CT/ISO 11960

Operating Temperatures
For all temperatures >65°C (150°F) >80°C ≥107°C
(175°F) (≥225°F)
API 5CT/ API 5CT/ API 5CT/ API 5CT/
ISO 11960 grades: ISO 11960 ISO 11960 ISO 11960
grades: grades: grades:

H-40, J-55, K-55, M-65, N-80 (Q & T), N-80, P-110 Q-125
L-80 (type 1), C-90 C-95
type 1, T-95 type 1

Proprietary grades as Proprietary Q&T Proprietary

described in A.2.2.3.3 to 700 MPa Q&T to 965
(110 ksi) max. MPa (140 ksi)
YS max. YS
Also pipe as in
Table A.2
NACE International 49

Part 2: Other Highlights

† SSC resistant bolting required (B7M or L7M)
„ Directly exposed to sour environment
„ Buried, insulated, or under flange protectors
† Drilling equipment
„ Limited requirements
„ pH > 10
„ Chemical sulfide scavengers
„ Drilling fluid has continuous oil phase
† Cast iron not acceptable for pressure-
containing parts
„ OK for certain internal compressor & pump parts

NACE International 50
Annex B (Normative)
† Qualification of carbon and low-alloy steels
for H2S service by laboratory testing

„ Qualification of manufactured products or of

manufacturing source and route
„ Testing in final product form required

„ Testing methods for SSC

„ Testing methods for SOHIC, SZC and HIC

For more information on testing methods

see Section on laboratory testing

Annex B (Normative) (Cont.)

„ Qualification for all cracking mechanisms for
severe sour service including SSC of
materials for all regions of Figure 1

„ Qualification for all cracking mechanisms for

specific applications including SSC of
materials in Regions 1 and 2 of Figure 1.

„ Acceptance criteria for all cracking-

resistance test methods
Annex C (Informative)
† Determination of H2S partial pressure

„ This Annex provides guidance for the

calculation of the H2S partial pressure in the
gas phase and the virtual H2S partial
pressure for a gas free liquid phase above
its bubble point

Annex D (Informative)
† Recommendations for determining pH
„ Annex D provides graphs that enable the
calculation of approximate values of pH for
in-situ water phases at up to 100°C
„ The pH calculation depends upon the CO2
and H2S partial pressure and the calcium ion
and bicarbonate ion contents from
laboratory analysis
„ Conditions covered range from condensed
water to water supersaturated with calcium
carbonate
Annex E (Informative)
† Information that should be supplied for
material purchasing

„ The Tables E.1 and E.2 provide a possible

format to define the requirements for
materials purchasing

„ The Tables also act as a check list for

information supplied in other formats

Application of Part 2
† Evaluate the service environment (6)
† Decide on the corrosion mechanisms, SSC,
SOHIC, SZC, HIC appropriate to your
application and material type
† Select acceptable SSC resistant material
using Annex A or by qualification
„ Choose Option 1 (NACE) or Option 2 (EFC)
„ Define hardness and welding requirements
† Where necessary qualify and select material
with respect to all likely cracking
mechanisms based upon laboratory testing
(Annex B) or upon field experience
NACE MR0175/ISO15156
Part 3

NACE International 57

Part 3 Cracking-resistant CRAs

(corrosion-resistant alloys) and
other alloys
† Selection or qualification and selection of
CRAs for SSC, SCC and GHSC resistance

„ Using rules for CRAs and other alloys based

upon the 2003 edition of NACE MR0175
extended by recently qualified and balloted
additions
„ Using additional flexibility of EFC approach

† Hardness testing using Vickers or Rockwell

methods
Part 3 Annexes
† Annex A Environmental cracking-resistant
CRAs and other alloys (including Table A.1
– Guide to the use of the materials
selection tables of Annex A)
† Annex B Qualification of CRAs for H2S-
service by laboratory testing
† Annex C Information that should be
supplied for materials purchasing
† Annex D Materials chemical compositions
and other information
† Annex E Nominated sets of test conditions

Definitions
† corrosion-resistant alloy (CRA)
(Part 1, Para. 3.6
„ alloy intended to be resistant to general and
localized corrosion of oilfield environments
that are corrosive to carbon steels

NOTE This definition differs from that used in API 6A

Definitions (Cont.)
† Definitions of cracking mechanisms

„ sulfide stress cracking (SSC)

Part 1, Para. 3.23

„ stress corrosion cracking (SCC)

Part 1, Para. 3.21

„ galvanically induced hydrogen stress

cracking (GHSC) Part 3, Para. 3.7

Typical example of SSC in a

stainless steel
Typical example of SCC in a
stainless steel

~50X

High temperature SCC in austenitic stainless steel

Typical example of GHSC in a

stainless steel
Selection of CRAs for resistance to
SSC, SCC and GHSC
† “Conventional” approach based on NACE
MR0175:2003 rules and lists extended by
recently qualified and balloted additions

„ No H2S threshold level below which risk of

cracking is ignored for all CRAs
„ Data presented in tabular form, based upon
materials types and service environment
„ See slides for Annex A below for more
details

Selection of CRAs for resistance to

SSC, SCC and GHSC (Cont.)
† Flexible approach developed by EFC for
qualifying and selecting CRAs, see Annex B
„ Laboratory qualification of materials to
equipment user’s requirements and for
individual user’s application only
„ Laboratory qualification for new materials
with a view to balloting and inclusion in
Annex A
„ Laboratory qualification of materials to other
limits than those listed; also with a view to
balloting and inclusion in Annex A
Hardness Testing using Rockwell
and Vickers Methods
† Rockwell HRC testing for base materials.

† Conversion of hardness readings is

materials dependent, the user may
establish conversion Tables

† For welding procedure qualification use

Vickers HV10 or HV5 method or
Rockwell 15N method.

† For welding procedure qualification other

methods require explicit user permission

Annex A (Normative)
† Environmental cracking-resistant CRAs and
other alloys (including Table A.1 – Guide to
the use of the materials selection tables of
Annex A)
„ All performance data in Tables
„ Alloys represented by UNS numbers
„ All sets of limits for the environmental
variables listed apply collectively
„ Metallurgical requirements shown in Table
Footnotes
† Use Table A.1 to link equipment type to
potentially suitable materials choices
Table A.1 — Guide to the use of the
materials selection tables of Annex A
(Excerpt only)
Material selection table numbers for var

Matensitic stainless
Austenitic stainless

austenitic stainless

nickel-based alloys

Ferritic stainless

Duplex stainless
Highly-alloyed

Solid-solution
(see A.2)

(see A.3)

(see A.4)

(see A.5)

(see A.6)

(see A.7)
Equipment or components

steels

steels

steels

steels
steel
A.13,
Any equipment or component A.2 A.8 A.17 A.18 A.24
A.14
Additional materials selection tables for casing, tubing and downhole equipment

Downhole tubular components — A.9 — — A.19 A.25

Packers and other subsurface A.20,

— A.9 — — A.25
equipment A.21

Gas lift equipment A.7 A.10 A.16 — — —

Injection tubing and
A.7 — — — — —
equipment
Downhole control line tubing
A.7 A.11 — — — —
and downhole screens

Materials groups in the tables of

Annex A (See top rows Table A.1)
Include
† Materials types (e.g. A.2 Austenitic
stainless steels)
„ Usefully group alloys together and provide
environmental limits for a type.
„ Can set unnecessarily conservative limits for
some alloys included in the type
..and/or
† Individual alloys with their own sets of
limits subject to industry demands and
testing (e.g. UNS S31600 in Table A.2)
Table A.2 — Environmental and materials
limits for austenitic stainless steels used
for any equipment or component (Excerpt)
Materials Temperature Partial Chloride pH Sulfur- Remarks
type/ pressure conc. resistant?
Individual H2S, pH2S
alloy UNS
Number
max. max. max.
°C (°F) kPa (psi) mg/l
60 (140) 100 (15) See See No Any combinations of chloride
remarks remarks concentration and in situ pH
occurring in production
Austenitic environments are acceptable.
stainless steel These materials have been
from used without restrictions on
materials type temperature, pH2S, or in situ pH
described in See See in production environments. No
A.2 See remarks 50 No limits on individual parameters
remarks remarks
are set but some combinations
of the values of these
parameters might not be
acceptable.
S31600, 93 (200) 10.2 (1.5) 5,000 >5.0 No
S31603
149 (300) 10.2 (1.5) 1,000 >4.0 No
S20910 66 (150) 100 (15) See See No Any combinations of chloride
remarks remarks concentration and in situ pH
occurring in production
environments are acceptable.

Other materials types not in tables

† Copper-based alloys may be used without

restrictions (Para. A.12.1)
„ Subject to warning notes on weight loss
corrosion in sour environments with oxygen
contamination and the possibility of GHSC

† Aluminum-based alloys may be used

without restrictions (Para. A.12.2)
„ Subject to warning note on weight loss corrosion
that is very dependent upon environmental pH

NACE International 72
Corrosion-Resistant Claddings,
Linings and Overlays – Sect. A.13

† Materials listed and defined in A.2 to A.11

may be used
† Base material can require heat treatment
after application of cladding or overlay
† The cracking resistance of wear-resistant
alloys and hard-surfacing materials is not
specified in NACE MR0175/ISO 15156

NACE International 73

Annex B (Normative)
† Qualification of CRAs for H2S-service by
laboratory testing
„ Qualification of manufactured products or
manufacturing source and route
„ Testing in final product form required
„ Table B.1 provides guidance on the cracking
mechanisms likely for the different materials
groups
„ Standard tests (and the tables of
Annex A) address SSC, SCC and GHSC
Testing methods are addressed
in later Seminar topic
Annex B (Cont.)

„ Testing methods: UT, FPB, C-Ring and less

commonly DCB and Slow Strain Rate
Testing (SSRT)
„ Qualification (all test methods and
mechanisms) for specific applications
„ Guidance on the simulation of high
temperature and pressure environments and
control of test pH
„ Acceptance criteria for all cracking
resistance test methods

Annex C (Informative)
† Information that should be supplied for
materials purchasing

„ Table C.1 provides a possible format to

define the requirements for materials
purchasing

„ The Table also acts as a check list for

information supplied in other formats
Annex D (Informative)
† Materials chemical compositions and other
information
„ Tables provide lists of some alloys, based
upon UNS numbers, considered to belong to
each materials group
† UNS numbers define alloy chemical
composition only
† Reference to UNS numbers avoids the use of
trade names
„ The lists are not exhaustive and some alloys
that can form part of a materials type may
not be included

Annex E (Informative)
† Nominated sets of test conditions

„ The NACE “Levels” of severity of testing

for qualifying new materials*

† Note recent correction of the relationship

between %NaCl and mg/l Cl- to take
account of concentration effects

*Annex B also allows testing and qualification to

user specific requirements
 Application of Part 3
† Evaluate the service environment (5)
† Assume resistance to SSC, SCC and GHSC
is required
† Select acceptable resistant material via
Table A.1 and other tables of Annex A
† Where necessary qualify and select
material with respect to likely cracking
mechanisms based upon laboratory testing
(Annex B) or upon field experience
† Document this process

NACE MR0175/ISO15156: Ongoing

maintenance and challenges

The organisation of its

maintenance and the
outstanding challenges

NACE International 80
Maintenance of the standard:
The organization
† Cooperative ISO/NACE organization set up to maintain
document
† Key groups representing the international oil and gas
industries established
„ A balance of USA and overseas members
„ Users, manufacturers, alloy suppliers, service companies
and consultants represented
„ Membership is by nomination not application
† Only one member per organisation
† Qualification reviewed
„ All members, including chairpersons, rotate
† Aim to be open to new ideas and perspectives
† Not a “closed shop” or metallurgical mafia
† A single negative can no longer stop a ballot

Maintenance of the standard: The

key groups and their functions
† The ISO 15156 Maintenance Panel (15
members)
„ Made up of international users, suppliers and
manufacturing experts
„ Provides interpretations and assesses proposed
amendments
† NACE TG 299 ISO 15156 Oversight Committee
(~45 members)
„ Similar make up to MP
„ Further international peer review of amendment
proposals
Process for approval of amendments
is described in detail on maintenance
website (see next slide)
Maintenance of the standard (Cont.)
†ISO TC67 WG7
„ Final approval and publication of interim up-dates
„ Overall approval period intended to be six months
„ 67% votes in favour sufficient for acceptance

†Overview of interim document up-dates and

other maintenance activities from
www.nace.org/mr0175links or
www.iso.org/iso15156maintenance
The websites aim to provide a high degree of
transparency with the public including interpretations,
technical corrigenda and technical agenda for on-going
activities

Significant interpretations

† The following 8 slides are a small sample of

the interpretations provided by the
Maintenance Panel during the last seven
years

„ The complete set is available via the ISO

website. (They are listed in the same order
as the Parts and Sections to which they refer)
Significant Interpretations:
Scope
† NACE MR0175/ISO 15156 cannot interpret design
issues

† Use of corrosion inhibitor does not allow any

relaxation of the requirements in the document.

† ISO Maintenance Panel does not interpret other

organizations’ standards

† NACE MR0175/ISO 15156-3 does not address the

selection of materials external to the production
environment, e.g. completion fluids

NACE International 85

Significant Interpretations: General

† Reference to old versions of MR0175—A new
version of an ISO standard does not apply
retroactively to equipment built to a previous
version but it may be applied by choice

† It is the user’s responsibility to determine the

operating conditions and select the
appropriate materials.

NACE International 86
Significant Interpretations -General

† It is the manufacturer’s responsibility to

meet the metallurgical requirements of the
appropriate alloys.
„ No change from older versions of MR0175.

† NACE Certification
„ Certification requirements are outside the scope
of the standard and there are no stipulations
concerning certification in NACE MR0175/ISO
15156.

Significant Interpretations - Part 2,

7 (and Part 3, 6): Hardness Testing

† Other than as shown in the standard NACE

cannot provide assistance in specifying where
to take hardness impressions.

NACE International 88
Significant Interpretations – Part 2,
Section 8: HIC
† The overall aim of ISO 15156-2, Clause 8, is to
ensure that materials that give satisfactory HIC
performance in sour service can be selected. It
is not the intention of the Clause to provide
detailed information that can lead to the
qualification, without testing, of HIC-resistant
steels.
† Testing is not necessary if the equipment
user can document that he/she has evaluated
the risk of HIC failure of his equipment and
considers the risk acceptable.

NACE International 89

Significant Interpretations – Part 2,

Section 8: HIC
† There are no requirements for the control
of the chemistry of any elements to prevent
HIC in NACE MR0175/ISO 15156.

† Some guidance concerning acceptable

sulfur levels is given in Section 8 of NACE
MR0175/ISO 15156 Part 2.

† For seamless products, testing can also be

performed according to Table B.3 if deemed
necessary.

NACE International 90
Significant Interpretations – Part 3,
Table A.2 Austenitic stainless steels

† NACE MR0175/ISO 15156-3 does not

prohibit all cold work of the austenitic
stainless steels; it prohibits cold work
intended to enhance mechanical properties.
A limit for the percentage of cold work is
not provided.
Note: This topic is the subject of work to develop
clearer wording for this footnote of Table A.2

NACE International 91

Significant Interpretations – Part 3,

Tables A.6 and A.23
† API Standard 618 for reciprocating
compressors and API Standard 617 for axial
and centrifugal compressors define the
equipment associated with the compressor
„ See Table A.6 for implications for use of
austenitic stainless steel
† Hangers are considered to be "wellhead
and tree” components
„ See Table A.23 for implications for use of
martensitic stainless steels.
How do I ask a question or propose
an amendment?
† Informal questions to corrosion colleagues
„ NACE Corrosion Network via NACE website
at www.nace.org
† Formal requests for interpretation by the
Maintenance Panel
„ Contact Linda.Goldberg@nace.org
† Amendment proposals for ballot
„ Contact Linda.Goldberg@nace.org

Outstanding challenges for

NACE MR0175/ISO 15156
† The freedom to test and choose non-listed
materials is outside comfort zone of many
users
† The wider availability of test results
„ Feedback of results of user sponsored tests
to NACE for the benefit of all in the industry
† Use of field experience
† Consistency of definitions and alloy
requirements across NACE, ISO and API
† Both users and manufacturers need more
training
Outstanding challenges for
NACE MR0175/ISO 15156-2
† Outdated acceptance criteria for SSC testing
„ Submerged cracks not picked up by visual
examination alone
† Standard test stress levels too high for FPB
specimens
„ Specimens may be stressed beyond yield in
some cases; under study by both NACE and EFC
† The specification and testing of materials
subject to HIC/SOHIC needs more attention
„ The manufacturing route of a component can
influence the outcome of tests!

Outstanding challenges for

NACE MR0175/ISO 15156-3
† Grandfathered alloys were subject to less
stringent testing than used now
† Resistance to change particularly in relation
to the CRA limits set by CRA rewrite
† Assumed low design stresses influence
materials limits for some components
„ Design stress levels tend to increase with
time reflecting more advanced design rules!
† Cold work of 316 and its influence on
cracking
† Super 13% Cr alloys for tubing and
pipelines are not discussed
NACE MR0175/ISO15156 – 2 & 3
Materials Testing Requirements

Described in detail
in Part 2, Annex B
and Part 3, Annex B

NACE International 97

Laboratory testing of carbon and

low alloy steels (Part 2, Annex B)
† Standard test duration 30 days
„ Longer at user’s request
† NACE Environment A or modified environment
with pH and H2S level for specific application
† Ambient test temperature
† For SSC testing (B.3 and Table B.1)
„ Test three materials heats
„ Test stress 80% AYS in Environment A
(Fig. 1, all regions)
„ Test stress 90% AYS in environment for specific
application (Fig. 1, regions 1 and 2)
„ No SSC cracks
Laboratory testing of carbon and
low alloy steels (Cont.)
† For SOHIC and SZC (B.4)
„ Additional evaluation of apparently
un-failed UT or FPB SSC test samples or the
use of full pipe ring tests
„ No ladderlike HIC indications allowed
† For HIC (B.5 and Table B.3)
„ Sampling to be agreed between user and
supplier
„ No applied stress
„ Defined crack length limits

NACE/ISO - 3 Requirements for Testing

CRAs
† Currently address SSC, SCC and GHSC
„ Primary and secondary mechanisms depend
upon materials group (Table B.1)
† SSC and HSC tests
„ Ambient temperature tests
„ HSC when galvanically coupled to CS
† SCC tests
„ Carried out at maximum service temperature
† Supplementary Requirements
„ Mixed Mode SSC/SCC at intermediate temps
† Duplex SS at 80 oC to 100 oC
„ SCC test with So

NACE International 100

NACE/ISO - 3 Requirements for
Testing CRAs (Cont.)
† Testing environment
„ Use NACE environmental “Levels” (Annex E) or
predicted in-service environment
† 30 days minimum test
„ 90 % AYS @ test temperature – constant load
specimens (Method A)
„ 100 % AYS @ test temperature – constant
deflection specimens (Method C)
† SSRT & DCB (K1SCC) tests acceptable
† Lower stresses may be used for specific
applications.
† Always test 3 heats.

NACE International 101

Testing methods
 NACE Method A
Smooth Tensile
Bar
Measures nominal
Stress to failure in
Longitudinal direction.

From NACE
TM0177

NACE International 103

NACE Method C:
Measures nominal stress C-rings
Failure in transverse
Direction.

From
NACE
TM0177

NACE International 104

 NACE Method
D – DCB
Fracture
Measures K1SCC – Mechanics
Resistance to Specimen
Crack propagation

From NACE
TM0177

NACE International 105

† SSRT test method?

Examples and questions

† The following slides contain a number of

examples designed to illustrate the process
of working with the standard.

Part 1: Examples and questions

† How should the decision on the application of
the Standard be made?
Who is responsible for this decision?
† Who is responsible for the suitability of the
material for the service conditions?
† What responsibility does the equipment
manufacturer have in the material selection
process?
† Is it sufficient to order equipment: “To NACE”?
 Facilities Piping

Part 2: Examples & Questions

† Example 1:
„ A gas pipeline off of a separator has the following
conditions:
† 20°C (68°F), 4 KPa CO2 & 1 KPa H2S
„ It is a short run of pipe and the only material available
has a base material hardness of 270 HV10.
„ Is this acceptable?
„ Can we put in a Teflon liner and avoid the hardness
issue?
„ The pipe has been cold bent to fit between the flanges.
Any issues here?
„ A contractor has warned us that this pipe needs HIC
testing and should have had a special chemistry. Is this
correct?
„ What if the material has to be welded? Is this a show
stopper?

NACE International 109

Casing Design

Part 2: Examples & Questions

A gas well with condensed water with a pH of 3.5 and
PPH2S of 3 psi has these casing requirements:

„ Production liner with a minimum temperature of

65°C (150oF) requires 105 ksi YS to resist burst
failure.
† What are acceptable casing grades?

„ Can C-110 SS be used as a tie back to the surface

at 4.5°C (40oF) mudline temperature?

„ If the casing can be set at 107°C (225oF), can Q-

125 be used?
† Chemistry restrictions for purchase?

NACE International 110

Part 3: Examples & Questions
† Example 1
„ 316 SS piping is suggested for a mixed phase oil
stream downstream of a choke and going to a gas
separator. Is this alloy acceptable?
† Conditions of service 54°C (130°F), 14 psi H2S,
and 3.5 pH for oil

„ Gas off a separator has 25 psi H2S? Is there a

problem with using 316 SS piping?

„ There are 316 SS KO drums in between

compressor stages in a sour gas system. Are
these acceptable?

Part 3: Example 2 - Completing

a gas production well
† We wish to choose the 80 ksi min. YS
tubing and packer for a gas well.
„ Service conditions:
† 10,000 psi BHP
† 120°C (250 oF) BHT
† 10,000 ppm chlorides
† No elemental sulfur
† 5% H2S

What steps are necessary to enable a suitable

choice of materials?