Causes of Structural Heterogeneity in High-Strength OCTG Tubes and Minimizing Their Impact on Sulfide Stress Corrosion Cracking Resistance

High-strength oil country tubular goods (OCTG) like C110, according to standard API 5CT (yield strength at least 758 MPa), are subject to requirements in terms of mechanical and corrosion properties. In this work, we studied the microstructure of seamless casing tubes made of class C110 high-strength steel with a 194.5 mm diameter and 19.7 mm wall thickness, and its influence on sulfide stress corrosion cracking (SSC). Casing tubes were obtained from continuous billets by screw piercing with preliminary quenching and tempering. It was shown that cracking during the tests always begins from the inner surface of the tube. Rough segregation bands were found on the inner tube surface, which occupies about a third of the thickness of the wall. To increase the resistance of 0.3C-Cr-Mn-Mo + 0.15(V + Nb + Ti) steel to SSC, primary recommendations for adjusting the chemical composition, production technology and heat treatment were developed.

Effects of the Primary NbC Elimination on the SSCC Resistance of a HSLA Steel for Oil Country Tubular Goods

Sulfide stress corrosion cracking (SSCC) has been of particular concern in high strength low alloyed (HSLA) steels used in the oil industry, and the non-metallic inclusions are usually considered as a detrimental factor to the SSCC resistance. In the present work, continuous casting (CC) and electroslag remelting (ESR) were adopted to fabricate a 125 ksi grade steel in order to evaluate the effect of microstructure with and without primary NbC carbides (inclusions) on the SSCC resistance in the steel. It was found that ESR could remove the primary NbC carbides, and hence, slightly increase the strength without deteriorating the SSCC resistance. The elimination of primary NbC carbides caused two opposite effects on the SSCC resistance in the studied steel. On the one hand, the elimination of primary NbC carbides increased the dislocation density and the proportion of high angle boundaries (HABs), which was not good to the SSCC resistance. On the other hand, the elimination of primary NbC carbides also induced more uniform nanosized secondary NbC carbides formed during tempering, providing many irreversible hydrogen traps. These two opposite effects on SSCC resistance due to the elimination of primary NbC carbides were assumed to be offset, and thus, the SSCC resistance was not greatly improved using ESR.

Sulfide stress cracking inhibition of a supermartensitic stainless steel by using an imidazol obtained from palm oil

Purpose This paper aims to use an imidazole-based n-ionic Gemini surfactant derived from palm oil to inhibit the sulfide stress corrosion cracking of a supermartensitic stainless steel. Design/methodology/approach The slow strain rate testing technique, hydrogen permeation tests and potentiodynamic polarization curves have been used. Findings Addition of the inhibitor below the critical micelle concentration (CMC) decreased the corrosion current density (icorr), but not enough to avoid embrittlement due to the entry of hydrogen into the steel. Instead, the addition of the inhibitor close to the CMC decreased the icorr, suppressed the entry of hydrogen and inhibited the sulfide stress cracking of steel. Finally, the addition of inhibitor above the CMC led to a slight increase of icorr and promoted localized corrosion, however, the sulfide stress cracking of steel was inhibited. Originality/value A green sulfide stress corrosion cracking inhibitor of a supermartensitic stainless steel has been obtained.

Influence of Structural Heterogeneity of High-Strength OCTG Tubes on Sulfide Corrosion Cracking Resistance

High-strength oil country tubular goods (OCTG) like C110, according to standard API 5CT (yield strength at least 758 MPa), are subject to requirements in terms of mechanical and corrosion properties. In this work, we studied the influence of seamless tubes microstructure with a 177.8 mm diameter and 10.36 mm wall thickness of class С110 high-strength steel to sulfide stress corrosion cracking (SSC) and sulfide stress corrosion cracking with low strain rates (SSRT). Tubes were obtained from continuous billets by screw piercing with preliminary quenching and tempering. It was established that cracking during the tests always begins from the inner surface of the tube. Rough segregation bands were found on the inner tube surface, which occupies about a third of the thickness. It is shown that the SSRT assessment technique allows to estimate the threshold value of the resistance.

Fracture Toughness Assessment of the Susceptibility for Sulfide Stress Corrosion Cracking in High Strength Carbon Steels: A review

High strength carbon steels typically used as oil country tubular goods can be susceptible to sulfide stress corrosion cracking (SSC) when in service in environments that contain H2S. In the last 25 years, linear-elastic fracture mechanics has been used to understand both the mechanistic aspects of this form of cracking and to quantify the susceptibility to SSC of different OCTG steel grades. This paper presents a review on the evolution of the Double Cantilever Method (DCB) as a standard practice to assess the threshold stress intensity factor KISSC. The paper evaluates the capabilities and limitations of this testing method to describe the conditions associated with crack propagation. The review study indicates that new fracture parameters based on the energy required for crack propagation such as J-integral JIc might be required to overcome the limitations of the static conditions implied in the stress intensity factor KIc evaluation approach

The Corrosion of Cast Duplex Stainless Steels in Seawater and Sour Brines

Modern duplex stainless steels have been in use since the early 1970s and cast versions of the wrought alloys were soon in demand for pumps and valves. Since that time a range of cast duplex stainless steels have been developed with a wide range of compositions, but all with approximately 50/50 austenite/ferrite phase balance and deliberate additions of nitrogen. This paper presents some comparative corrosion data on a range of cast duplex stainless steels, mainly in seawater. The differences in performance related to composition and microstructure are discussed. Corrosion data in lower chloride brines are also presented to show the limits of use of some lower alloyed duplex materials. In addition to oxidizing chloride solutions, some data are presented on cast duplex stainless steels in reducing brines containing H2S, where the main corrosion problem is sulfide stress corrosion cracking. Finally, the importance of using a suitable technical specification, over and above ASTM, combined with selecting a suitably skilled foundry in order to obtain satisfactory castings is discussed.