Effects of Different Parameters on Initiation and Propagation of Stress Corrosion Cracks in Pipeline Steels: A Review

Abstract

The demand for pipeline steels has increased in the last several decades since they were able to provide an immune and economical way to carry oil and natural gas over long distances. There are two important damage modes in pipeline steels including stress corrosion cracking (SCC) and hydrogen induced cracking (HIC). The SCC cracks are those cracks which are induced due to the combined effects of a corrosive environment and sustained tensile stress. The present review article is an attempt to highlight important factors affecting the SCC in pipeline steels. Based on a literature survey, it is concluded that many factors, such as microstructure of steel, residual stresses, chemical composition of steel, applied load, alternating current (AC) current and texture, and grain boundary character affect the SCC crack initiation and propagation in pipeline steels. It is also found that crystallographic texture plays a key role in crack propagation. Grain boundaries associated with {111}∥rolling plane, {110}∥rolling plane, coincidence site lattice boundaries and low angle grain boundaries are recognized as crack resistant paths while grains with high angle grain boundaries provide easy path for the SCC intergranular crack propagation. Finally, the SCC resistance in pipeline steels is improved by modifying the microstructure of steel or controlling the texture and grain boundary character.

A review of crack growth models for near-neutral pH stress corrosion cracking on oil and gas pipelines

“…The underlying mechanisms of NNpHSCC on pipelines have not been conclusively established. Many researchers [16][17][18] suggest that NNpHSCC is driven by the synergistic effect of hydrogen embrittlement (HE), anodic dissolution (AD), and cyclic stress. Parkins et al [19] first suggested that both the dissolution and hydrogen ingress into the steel are responsible for the crack growth in NNpH environments.…”

Stress Corrosion Cracking and Copper Alloy Products

“…The severity of these sources of SCC cracks is then determined by the magnitude of the stress (inserted or residual) and the notching effect of the initial defect or structural notch. The occurrence of SCC cracks can be found both in steels [1,2] and in alloys of nonferrous metals [3,4,5]. SCC violation cannot be completely ruled out for pure metals, such as pure copper or pure iron [6].…”

Modelización por diferencias finitas aplicada a la interpretación del agrietamiento asistido por hidrógeno utilizando ensayos virtuales de tracción a baja velocidad de deformación

“…The use of high strength steels is constantly increasing, specially powered by the automotive industry (Necati and Koc, 2014), due to the weight and cost advantages offered by these materials. In the oil and gas industry, high strength steels are applied in pipelines (Mohtadi-Bonab, 2019) and in submerged structural elements for offshore platforms (Krom et al, 1999a;Billingham et al, 2003). More specifically, they are employed in jack-ups (Sharp et al, 2001) and mooring chains (DNVGL-CP-0237, 2018).…”