The role of stainless steel in the petroleum refining industry
Petroleum refineries convert crude oil into many products and support the manufacture and development of essential products for various industries . The equipment in these facilities faces significant corrosion challenges both during processing operations and in the handling and storage of products . While the most common refined products are motor fuel and gasoline , refined crude oil has many uses , including heating , electricity generation , chemical feedstock , and building blocks for plastics .
By Srikumar Chakraborty , ex ASP / SAIL , Freelance Consultant
Petroleum refineries face different types of corrosion at the various stages of production depending on the interaction between the product , equipment and the environment . For example , in sour water stripping , the presence of hydrogen sulfide ( H2S ) and ammonia ( NH3 ) creates a hostile environment conducive to multiple types of corrosion . Sudden failures in petroleum refineries receive a great deal of attention due to the scale and severity of the consequences , which include disruptions to operations , including unplanned shutdowns , leak repair in situ and loss of production for repair and maintenance . However , if proper mitigation methods are not undertaken promptly , units may also suffer from general corrosion , localised pitting corrosion , hydrogen-induced cracking , etc .
Complex processes Petroleum refineries are complex industrial facilities that break crude oil products down into various components , which are then selectively reconfigured into new products . Refined petroleum products are derived from crude oils through a series of processes such as catalytic cracking and fractional distillation . Stainless steels are used in the crude distillation units for protection against elevated-temperature sulfidation , primarily against attack by corrosive naphthenic acids . The most important processes in the refinery are catalytic cracking and functional distillation . In both processes , equipment is manufactured from stainless steel for uninterrupted production and corrosion protection .
50 Stainless Steel World June 2024 www . stainless-steel-world . net