Certain types of pressure equipment in refinery service experience increased risk of

subcritical crack growth, as well as catastrophic failure during startup and shutdown,
due to several service-aging degradation mechanisms. For example, heavy-wall reactor
pressure vessels in high-temperature H2 service can be susceptible to hydrogen-
assisted cracking near ambient temperature. Atomic hydrogen that dissolves in the
reactor wall during elevated temperature operation remains in the steel during a
shutdown cycle. Dissolved hydrogen at or near ambient temperature can result in two
undesirable outcomes: 1) subcritical hydrogen-assisted crack growth and 2) unstable
fast fracture due to a reduction in fracture toughness caused by hydrogen. (Dissolved H
can also reduce steel tearing resistance in the resistance curve sense; however,
assessment of this form of stable cracking is beyond the scope of this technical report.)
The refining industry reduces the likelihood of these outcomes through adherence to a
minimum pressurization temperature (MPT). The intent of the MPT is to ensure that the
vessel is not subject to above-threshold primary stresses from pressure at temperatures
where the material of construction is susceptible to hydrogen cracking.