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Managing Corrosion
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PREDICTIONS OF METAL thickness loss by oxidation in air after one year for several nickel-containing
alloys, as predicted by ASSET. Dashed portions of lines are extrapolations.
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PREDICTIONS OF METAL thickness loss by oxidation over a range of partial pressure of oxygen after
one year at 1000 decrees C for several nickel-containing alloys, as predicted by ASSET. Dashed portions of
lines are extrapolations.
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PREDICTIONS OF METAL thickness loss by corrosion in 5% hydrogen sulphide and 90% hydrogen after one year
for several nickel-containing alloys, as predicted by ASSET. Dashed portions of lines are extrapolations.
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Modes of corrosion in chemical process equipment will be the focus of 2-year research
project
Nickel magazine, May 5, 2003 -- The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has agreed to
provide roughly half the funding for a US$2-million project designed to expand the capabilities of ASSET, an
emerging piece of software that can predict the corrosion of commercial alloys in high-temperature
environments.
The software, known as ASSET (Alloy Selection System for Elevated Temperatures), was developed
by Shell Oil and further advanced by the DOE and a growing consortium of companies which are funding the
other half of the current project. As a result, the program’s database now contains more than 10.2
million hours of corrosion data for 91 commercial alloys, including many
nickel-containing stainless steels and several nickel alloys. The software operates on
a personal computer using the Windows operating system.
The project, which was scheduled to begin in May 2003 and last two years, is designed to
improve predictions for a wider range of alloys exposed to a variety of corrosive conditions at temperatures
ranging from 200°C to 1,200°C. The study will focus on modes of corrosion in chemical processing equipment,
including corrosion by chlorine and hydrochloric gases, cyclic oxidation and metal dusting.
"There is a compelling opportunity to increase the accuracy used in predicting equipment lifetimes, as
they are limited by corrosion in high-temperature gases," says Randy John of Shell Global Solutions, which is
spearheading the project. "Benefits in improving corrosion management will be far-reaching in the chemical
industry and the United States economy."
Among the benefits are significant energy savings and reduced carbon dioxide emissions for
industry sectors such as power generation, petroleum, chemicals and pulp and paper. Specific
applications of the technology include: analyzing equipment failures to reduce maintenance costs and improve
safety; selecting cost-effective alloys; and developing equipment design and operation guidelines to reduce
costs.
Access to the ASSET software is currently limited to the roughly 60 companies participating in the
project, however other companies are welcome to participate.
ILLUSTRATIONS: Courtesy of Shell Global Solutions
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