Under Deposit Corrosion Propagation

Materials Science, Metallurgy, Welding, NDTs, Reliability Assessment, Failure Analysis, etc.
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neo
Posts: 103
Joined: 12 Jul 2025, 09:25
Area of interest: Chemical Engineering

Under Deposit Corrosion Propagation

Post by neo »

What plant conditions accelerate under-deposit corrosion the fastest in exchangers and piping?
Please provide some insights to capture all those conditions.
mechcolor
Posts: 307
Joined: 17 May 2010, 18:05
Area of interest: Manufacturing Engineering

Re: Under Deposit Corrosion Propagation

Post by mechcolor »

The biggest contributors here are low flow /stagnation conditions.
When flow velocity drops solids settle, water pockets accumulate, sludge forms, heat transfer surfaces foul, corrosion inhibitors stop reaching surfaces effectively.
Typical scenarios include dead legs, standby exchangers, low-rate circulation loops, oversized piping, bypass lines, seasonal low throughput, intermittent operation, horizontal piping with low velocity and similar scenarios where above conditions can occur.
High-risk areas where we can actually spot and look for UDC include bottom of horizontal lines, exchanger channel heads, tube inlets, low points, reboilers, and quench systems.
novice123
Posts: 140
Joined: 24 Jul 2010, 18:32
Area of interest: Petroleum Engineering

Re: Under Deposit Corrosion Propagation

Post by novice123 »

We have been discussing to get these conditions defined within IOW program to make sure there is no uDC happening.
Minimum velocity, water dewpoint margins, salt deposition temperatures, and fouling tedency play important role here.
Otherwise, it stays a reactive finding upon inspection that there is uDC.
octane
Posts: 171
Joined: 08 Oct 2010, 15:38
Area of interest: Mechanical Engineering

Re: Under Deposit Corrosion Propagation

Post by octane »

I would support this idea and need to check if we have any such parameter defined in our IOWs.
Once this is in place, monitored, and reported, we are covered in identifying UDC.
Scenarios have been very well covered by mechcolor.
novice123 wrote: 30 May 2026, 10:05 We have been discussing to get these conditions defined within IOW program to make sure there is no uDC happening.
Minimum velocity, water dewpoint margins, salt deposition temperatures, and fouling tedency play important role here.
Otherwise, it stays a reactive finding upon inspection that there is uDC.
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