API 653 - Section 571 Flash Card – 20 Questions

1. Brittle fracture affects what units and equipment?

Units processing light hydrocarbons like alky, olefins, and polymer units.
Storage bullets/spheres for light hydrocarbons may also be susceptible.
(4.2.7.4)

2. What are the prevention methods for brittle fracture?

a. Controlling operating conditions

b. Minimizing pressure at ambient temperature during startup/shutdown
c. Periodic inspection at high stress locations
(4.2.7.6)

3. Where is atmospheric corrosion most severe?

Marine environments and moist polluted industrial environments with

airborne contaminants are more severe. (4.3.2.1)

4. What are prevention methods for atmospheric corrosion?

Surface preparation and proper coating application. (4.3.2.6)

5. Corrosion under insulation (CUI) affects what equipment?

All insulated piping and equipment are susceptible to CUI (4.3.3.4)

6. What are the inspection/monitoring methods to detect CUI?

Partial and/or stripping of insulation for visual, examination, UT, x-ray,

neutron backscatter, deep penetrating, eddy current, IR thermography,
guided wave UT, etc. (4.3.3.7)

7. What are the critical factors for chloride stress corrosion cracking?

Chloride content, pH, temperature, stress, presence of oxygen and alloy

composition. (4.5.1.3)

8. How is chloride stress corrosion cracking inspected?

Visually, PT, phase analysis eddy current techniques, UT. (4.5.1.7)

9. Where is MIC most often found?

Heat exchangers, bottom water of storage tanks, piping with stagnant

water or low flow, and piping in contact with soil. (4.3.8.4)
10. How is the effectiveness of treatment monitored for MIC?

Measuring biocide residual, microbe counts and visual appearance. Loss of

duty of a heat exchanger (4.3.8.7)

11. What are the affected units for caustic stress corrosion cracking?

Sulfuric and hydrofluoric alkylation units (4.5.3.4)

12. How can caustic stress corrosion cracking be prevented?

PWHT at 1150F (4.5.3.6)

13. The severity of soil corrosion is determined by what factors?

Operating temp, moisture and O2 availability, soil resistivity, soil type and
homogeneity, cathodic protection, stray current drainage, coating type,
age (4.3.9.3)

14. What is the most common method of monitoring underground structures for
soil composition?

Measuring the structure to soil potential using dedicated electrodes near

the structure (4.3.9.7)

15. An inspector is checking a tank that contains water bottoms and a hydrocarbon
product that has been neutralized by using caustic. He suspects there may be
caustic corrosion. Where would be a likely place for this to occur?
...

16. An inspector is checking a tank that contains a hydrocarbon product that has
been neutralized by using caustic. The tank has heating coils that contain steam at
325ºF. The inspector suspects caustic carryover in the product. Where would the
inspector expect to find caustic corrosion or damage?

OD of coils (4.3.10.5e)

17. Sulfuric acid promotes general and localized corrosion of carbon steel and
other alloys. Where is the most affected zone for severe corrosion in carbon steel?

Heat-affected zones (5.1.1.11.1)

18. What happens to the corrosion rate of carbon steel in sulfuric acid solution if
your flow velocity is 5fps?

Increases significantly if flow exceeds 2-3fps (5.1.1.11.3c)

19. What happens when water is mixed with sulfuric acid?

Diluted acid causes hat too be released, increasing corrosion rates.

(5.1.1.11.3d)

20. What is one good way to prevent sulfuric acid corrosion?

Acidified product stream can be washed with caustic to neutralized the acid.
(5.1.11.1.6c)