Corrosion Under Insulation in Process Industry

# 3 Corrosion Under Insulation (CUI)
What is CUI
• This is a localized external corrosion under side of

insulation of an equipment.
• Equipment may be made of insulated carbon steel,
alloy steel or stainless steels.
• CUI is possible in any metallurgy.
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Main reasons of CUI
• Presence of water or water vapour in side insulation at

the outer body of equipment
• Presence of air / oxygen
• Suitable temperature to assist chemical reaction
• Presence of salts and impurities in water
• Galvanic corrosion at equipment surface
Water ingression in to insulation
Reasons
• Gaps in insulation jacketing
• Breakage of vapor barrier
• Poor jacket joints installation
• Insulation damage during operation and maintenance
Water comes from
o Rainfall
o Drift from cooling tower
o Condensate falling from cold service equipment
o Steam leakages for tracing and jacketing
o Spray from fire sprinklers & deluge systems
o Fire water deluge systems,
o Spillage from process operations/ leaking steam tracing
Results of water ingression
1. Water accumulates on metal surface lower points

2. Insulation absorbs water by wicking property & operating
temperature
3. Depending of process conditions insulation gets fully saturated
and can never be able to fully dry out.
CUI classsification
CUI can be classified in four categories :
I. Low temperature (low temperature or cryogenic
service)
II. Sweating service (below dew point)
III. High temperature (helps in re-vaporizition of
water)
IV. Cyclic operating temperature
Corrosion in Carbon steel under insulation
Corrosion in carbon steels
• Carbon steel corrodes as soon as it comes in contact with water in
presence of air
• Insulation provides an annular space or crevice for water retention
and full access to air (oxygen)
• Insulation material wicks water which further accelerates
corrosion rate.
• The corrosion rate shall depend on :
– Operating temperature of steel surface
– Availability of oxygen and water
– Presence of salts and corrosive contaminant in the water.
Role of Temperature
• Most favourable temperature range for CUI is - 5°C to 150°C
• Equipment operating below - 5°C usually remains free of corrosion as
water is in frozen state.
• Corrosion of equipment above 150°C is less as water is present only in
vapour phase and no liquid accumulation
• For higher temperature equipment also Corrosion occurs when
equipment is under periodic or long shut down for long period.
• CUI is more severe in closed systems:
✓ In an open system, the oxygen decreases with increasing temperature
✓ While in a closed system, the corrosion rate is higher due to water
saturation, the vapour in contact with jacket condenses and returns to
vessel body.
CUI mechanism under hot insulation
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Cyclic operating temperature
• Cyclic operating temperature is more troublesome. Specially
when temperatures varies from below dew point to above-
ambient temperatures.
• In this case, the classic wet/dry cycle occurs when the cold
metal develops water condensation that is then baked off
(vaporised) during the hot/dry cycle.
• The transition from cold to hot or hot/ cold with interim
periods (damp or warm conditions) makes corrosion rate
higher.
Electrochemical reaction in Carbon steel
• Iron Hydroxide breaks in to “Fe” and
“OH” ions, due to Oxidation of top
surface.
• This reaction requires the presence
of four elements:
– Anode
– Cathode
– Electrolyte
– Electrical circuit or path.
• In its simplest form of galvanic
corrosion where water acts as
electrolyte which contain oxygen
and salts, which accelerate
corrosion
Impurities in Insulation
• CUI of carbon steel is possible under all types of insulation.

The rate of corrosion may vary depending on the
characteristics of the insulation material and type of
impurities present
• Some insulation materials contain water-leachable salts that
contribute to corrosion
• Foams may contain residual compounds that react with water
to form an acidic environment.
• The water retention, permeability, and wetting properties of
insulation further influence the corrosion of carbon steel.
Corrosion in stainless steel under insulation
Corrosion of stainless steel under insulation
• Although CUI is common in carbon steel, it also affects SS,
which is otherwise considered corrosion resistant.
• The main reason for CUI in stainless steels is presence
of chlorides and fluoride in insulation material and
presence of an electrolyte (mainly water) + oxygen.
• Furthermore, temperatures in the range of 50°C–175°C
are prone to induce the “ External stress corrosion
cracking (ESCC) “ Chlorides attack the stressed areas of
metal.
CUI in stainless steels
• CUI in austenitic stainless steel is due to chloride-
induced stress corrosion cracking (CISCC), also known
as external stress corrosion cracking (ESCC)
• Figure shows ESCC of a 4-inch 304 stainless steel pipe
that operated in the 50° to 100°C
• ESCC of austenitic stainless steel is possible when the
conditions are favouring ( aerated water with
chlorides + temp 50° to 150°C + residual stresses)
Reasons for ESCC
• The stainless steels that are commonly affected by
ESCC in the chemical process industries are the 300
series stainless steels.
• ESCC develops in stress areas present in the
material.
• Most fabricated equipment parts contain enough
residual tensile stresses from processing to develop
cracks without external stresses.
How Chlorides contribute to corrosion
• Chloride ion damage passive protective layer on 18-8 stainless steels.
Which leads to localized corrosion.
• Chlorides are high solubility and widespread presence. Chloride salts of
weak bases like lithium chloride, magnesium chloride, aluminium
chloride, can even more rapidly crack the 18-8 stainless steels
• All such chlorides come from insulating materials, like mastics, sealants,
rock wool, adhesives etc.
• Besides external water , other environmental sources can be more
aggressive include chlorine, hydrogen chloride gas in surrounding. The
concentration of chlorides to initiate SCC can be as low as 10 ppm.
External surface Chloride stress corrosion cracking
• For austenitic steel components
subject to ESCC, damage takes
place by surface cracks with
branches
• These cracks can propagate , can
lead to ductile tearing,
• Crack occurs under the
combined action of tensile
stress, weld residual stress,
temperature, and chloride
environment.
Prevention from CUI
Prevention of CUI
• Poorly designed or applied insulation permit s water to enter.
Primary aim should be to prevent moisture ingress
• Vessel attachments to be designed in such a manner not to form a
pocket of water to accumulate.
• Improve insulation specifications to restrict the impurities.
• Thermal expansion of insulation plays a vital role. Cellular foam
expands 9 times to carbon steel and therefore requires expansion
joints.
• Insulation cladding to be designed in a manner to cover these
expansion joints and not to allow water entry.
Organic coating
• Application of organic coatings on CS and SS equipment under insulation
provides physical barrier to electrolyte
• This coating increases average life cycle of equipment by 5 to 10 years
• Parameters for selecting a coating system:
– Coating type
– Surface-preparation
– Environmental requirement
– Compatibility with insulating material
• Mostly used Coating systems:
– Urethanes,
– Polyurethanes;
– Coal tar epoxy
Use of higher alloy steels
Use improved metallurgy :
1. Higher-nickel – chromium and molybdenum-containing alloys
(super stainless steels)
2. Lower-nickel, higher-chromium duplex alloys steels
a) These alloys are more resistant to SCC and have been found
to be resistant to ESCC under insulation.
b) The higher cost of some materials make this option
unattractive.
Inspection of Insulated piping and process
equipment
• API 570, details requirements of:
– Inspection, Repair, Alteration, and Re-rating of In-service Piping
Systems,”
– Identification of corrosion under insulation areas
• API RP 580 provides:
– Methodology for prioritizing CUI-related maintenance and
inspection activities
– Risk based inspection (RBI) assessment
Risk based Inspection and assesment
• The intent of using RBI is to manage the probability of failure in piping and
vessels, establishing an optimum inspection program.
• Accordingly significant plant areas/ equipment are addressed by focusing
on a relatively few items
• The factors that are usually considered in a RBI analysis include:
– Location of equipment
– Temperature
– Materials of construction
– Age of the equipment
– Type and condition of the coating system
– Insulation type
Some examples of CUI
Corrosion in top dished end due to improper
nozzle insulation coverage
• Low points under
insulation in vertical
equipment, dish heads,
bottoms of vessels,
individual nozzle cut out in
cladding, areas near
structural support must be
checked and monitored
for corrosion.
Cladding opening near ladder support lug
Check list for Pressure Vessels to avoid CUI
• Avoid flat horizontal surfaces , gussets, beams, if possible
• Avoid bucket-type insulation support rings, which could act as a water
trap . Drill holes in the ring to drain water
• Insulation support rings to have a gap between the support clips and the
shell wall to facilitate drainage
• External stiffening rings should be insulated and jacketed to have a
water-tight seal.
• Insulation-to-fireproofing interfaces on vertical vessels should be designed
to shed water away from insulation and fire proofing.
• Rainwater shields to extend beyond the fireproofing area
Thank you

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# 3 Corrosion Under Insulation (CUI)

• This is a localized external corrosion under side of

• Presence of water or water vapour in side insulation at

1. Water accumulates on metal surface lower points

• CUI of carbon steel is possible under all types of insulation.

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