8/17/2019 Effect of Organic Chloride Contamination of Crude Oil on Refinery Corrosion - OnePetro

Effect of Organic Chloride Contamination of Crude Oil on

Refinery Corrosion

Authors Joerg Gutzeit (Corrosion Consultant)

Document ID NACE-00694
Publisher NACE International
Source CORROSION 2000, 26-31 March, Orlando, Florida
Publication Date 2000

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ABSTRACT
A series of sudden tube leaks in four first-stage overhead exchangers of a crude tower of a major
Gulf Coast refinery was attributed to repeated contamination of the crude charge with organic
chlorides. Corrosion in these exchangers increased to the point where the remaining life of the
exchangers was used up in a matter of weeks. The contaminated crude oils were traced back to a
single supplier that had dumped organic-chloride containing hydrocarbon waste streams into one of
the refinery's pipelines over a period of 10 months, and possibly longer. The organic chloride
content of the contaminated crude oils was found to have ranged from approximately 3 to 3,000
ppm (rag/L). Organic chlorides in crude oil are known to cause severe corrosion in crude tower Other Resources
overhead systems. Therefore, most refineries allow no more than 1 ppm (mg/L) organic chlorides in
the crude charge. In this particular case, the actual crude charge contained at least 50 ppm (mg/L)
at the time when most leaks occurred, and possibly as much as 255 ppm (mg/L). Looking for more?
INTRODUCTION Some of the OnePetro partner
This paper summarizes the results of an investigation into the cause of a series of sudden tube societies have developed
leaks in four first-stage overhead exchangers of the crude tower of a major Gulf Coast refinery. subject- specific wikis that may
Based on past inspection reports, no unusual problems were experienced with these shell-and-tube help.
heat exchangers prior to February 1997, when the unit operators first noticed that jet fiael did not
meet color specifications. This often indicates that crude oil somehow ended up in the jet fuel. The
crude unit had a nominal throughput of 175,000 bbl/d (28 MM L/d). The unit processed a variety of
sweet crudes with salt contents between 2.5 and 5 Ib/l,000 bbl (7 and 14 kg/IMM L), corresponding
to 10 to 20 ppm (rag/L) inorganic chlorides. A two-stage desalter maintained the salt content of the
desalted crude at approximately 0.1 lb/I,000 bbl (0.28 kg/IMM L), corresponding to approximately
0.4 ppm (mg/L) chlorides. PetroWiki was initially created
from the seven volume
The crude tower overhead system consisted of two condensing stages. Both condensing stages Petroleum Engineering
operated "wet", i.e., water condensate was withdrawn from both overhead drums. An organic Handbook (PEH) published by
neutralizer and a filming-amine corrosion inhibitor were injected upstream of the overhead the Society of Petroleum
exchangers of both condensing stages. Engineers (SPE).

The amount of water withdrawn from the first-stage drum (reflux drum) was usually not large
enough for reliable pH measurements. At the low salt content of the desalted crude charge, the
chloride content of water from the first-stage drum probably did not exceeded 2.5 to 5 ppm (mg/L).
The pH of the combined water condensate from both condensing stages was measured once a
week and typically ranged from 6.5 to 7. The chloride content of the combined water condensate
also was measured once a week and typically ranged from 15 to 35 ppm (mg/L). Prior experience
had shown that neither pH or chloride content varied significantly under normal operating
conditions. No corrosion probes had been installed.

Naphtha from the overhead system was sent to several downstream units, but primarily to a The SEG Wiki is a useful
naphtha hydrodesulfurizer where leaks occured in 300 series stainless steel tubes of reactor collection of information for
effluent coolers just prior to the time the tube leaks in the overhead exchangers of the crude unit working geophysicists,
were discovered. The tube leaks at the naphtha hydrodesulfurizer will be mentioned only in educators, and students in the
passing. field of geophysics. The initial
content has been derived from
FAILURE HISTORY : Robert E. Sheriff's
Tube leaks in the first-stage overhead exchangers early in February 1997 were the first indication Encyclopedic Dictionary of
that corrosion in the first condensing stage of the crude tower overhead system had increased for Applied Geophysics, fourth
some yet unknown reason. These four parallel heat exchangers cooled and condensed crude tower edition.
overhead vapors from approximately 275 F (1

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8/17/2019 Effect of Organic Chloride Contamination of Crude Oil on Refinery Corrosion - OnePetro

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