Corrosion under insulation

Jiexiang
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Corrosion Under Insulation

– Corrosion of piping, Pressure Vessels, and structural components resulting from water trapped under insulation or fireproofing.

– It’s the oxidation of the surface of an insulated metal or vessel. The insulation or fireproofing traps moisture underneath which
causes the metal to be in constant contact with oxygen in the water.

Water enters thru

Cladding damaged cladding

Soluble salts, temperature and

OH - environment may accelerate
Fe2
+
corrosion

Insulation Rust = Fe2O3 .

Corrosion of surface
xH2O
e-
Wall
Temperature

Process
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Corrosion under insulation

Description of Damage
– Corrosion of piping, pressure vessels, and structural components resulting from water trapped
under insulation or fireproofing.

Affected Materials
– Carbon steel, low-alloy steels, 300 series SS, 400 series SS, and duplex stainless steels.

Factors affecting CUI

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Corrosion under insulation

– Factors affecting CUI

– Temperature, duration of wetting, design of the insulation system, insulation type, and environment are critical factors.
– The extent of CUI attack depends on the total amount of time the equipment remains wet from exposure to wet
insulation. Therefore, while a higher operating temperature will result in a higher corrosion rate, the total amount of
attack over a long period of time may occur at a lower temperature if the metal remains wet for significantly longer
periods of time at the lower temperature. This is one of the reasons why CUI corrosion rates are difficult to predict.
– Poor design or installation of insulation systems that allow water to become trapped will increase CUI.
– Insulating materials that wick moisture can hold water and be more prone to causing extensive CUI.
– Insulating materials that dry out slowly can be more prone to causing extensive CUI.
– Cyclic thermal operation or intermittent service can increase corrosion.
– Equipment that operates below the water dew point tends to condense water on the metal surface, thus providing a wet
environment and increasing the risk of corrosion.
– Damage is aggravated by contaminants that may be leached out of the insulation, such as chlorides.
– Plants located in areas with high annual rainfall or warmer marine locations are more prone to CUI than plants located in
cool and dry or warm and dry locations.
– Environments that provide airborne contaminants such as chlorides (e.g. from marine environments or cooling tower drift)
or SO2 (e.g. from stack emissions) can accelerate corrosion.

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Corrosion under insulation

– Affected Units and Equipment

– CUI can be found on equipment with damaged insulation, insulation jacketing, vapor barriers, weatherproofing or mastic,
or where caulking has hardened, separated, or is missing.
– CUI can occur where water gains access at protrusions through the insulation or at insulation termination points such as
flanges and nozzles.
– Piping or equipment with damaged and leaking steam tracing is susceptible.
– Piping components and locations that are particularly susceptible include dead-legs (vents, drains, and other similar items),
pipe hangers and other supports, valves and fittings with irregular insulation surfaces, bolted-on pipe shoes, steam tracing
tube or heat tracing wire penetrations, at the terminations
– Equipment designed with insulation support rings welded directly to the vessel wall (i.e. with no standoff) can be
susceptible, particularly around ladder and platform clips, lifting lugs, nozzles, and stiffener rings.
– Locations where moisture or trapped water will naturally collect due to gravity drainage before evaporating such as low
points in piping runs and insulation support rings on vertical columns, as well as improperly terminated fireproofing.
– Where piping and equipment have been coated beneath the insulation, localized CUI can still occur where the coating has
deteriorated or been damaged.
– Equipment subjected to long-term or frequent water spray, e.g. from firefighting, fire equipment testing, or supplemental
externally applied cooling, is highly susceptible to CUI.
– 300 series SS equipment insulated with older calcium silicate insulation, which is known to contain high levels of chlorides,
can suffer
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pitting, crevice corrosion, and Chloride stress corrosion cracking (Cl− SCC). 6
Corrosion under insulation

– Appearance of corrosion
– Carbon steel and low-alloy steels are subject to corrosion having a rough, uneven, somewhat pitted appearance, usually
covered with a loose, flaky, non-protective scale attached. The corrosion will be localized to wherever the metal has been
kept wet by wet insulation.
– In some cases, the corrosion can appear to be carbuncle-type pitting (usually found under failed coating).
– 300 series SS are subject to Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) if chlorides are present. While the duplex stainless steels are
less susceptible, SCC failures have occurred in duplex stainless steel due to CUI.
– 300 series SS and duplex stainless steel are subject to pitting and crevice corrosion.
– Telltale signs of CUI include insulation jacketing damage, bulges or staining of the insulation or jacketing, missing bands,
coating damage, or vegetation growing out of the insulation. Bulges may indicate corrosion product buildup.

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Corrosion under insulation – Corroded examples

Corrosion under fireproofing

Swelling insulation

Corroded Piping
Piping scales due to CUI

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Corrosion under insulation – expansion (Good examples)

Piping insulation with no broken connections Vessel insulation with no broken connections

Heat exchanger insulation with no broken connections No cracks in fireproofing

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Corrosion under insulation – expansion (corroded examples)

Pipe support corroded. What about insulated piping? Moss and algae formation on insulation cladding

Insulation cladding with rust stains Ferns growing out from insulation
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Locations where CUI may happen

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Corrosion under insulation

– Inspection and Monitoring

– An inspection plan for CUI should be a structured, systematic approach starting with prediction and analysis per the CUI
planning information
– history of CUI leaks,
– operating temperatures that may give rise to CUI,
– type and age/condition of coating, and
– type, age, and condition of the insulation material.
– An external VT of the equipment, looking for evidence of insulation system damage, mastic and/or sealant damage, signs of
water penetration, rust in gravity drain areas on equipment and piping, and signs of process fluid leaks, will help prioritize the
effort.
– Although external insulation may appear to be in good condition, CUI damage may still be occurring in isolated areas not
thought to be susceptible. The owner/user generally determines the extent of CUI inspection, including the extent of
insulation removal for inspection, based on inspection and CUI history and other factors as described above.
1. Invasive Inspection
a) 100% removal of insulation and inspection by UTG or PT for Cracking mechanism
b) Inspection by RT or UTG by removal of insulation. Depending on extent of inspection
c) Insulation “windowing” by selective removal of insulation in selected area, thought to be suspectable of CUI.
2. Non-Invasive
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inspection 12
Inspection techniques (Direct)

Direct inspection methods

– 100% removal of insulation and perform inspection – Liquid Penetrant Testing (SCC only)

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Inspection techniques (Indirect)

Semiquantitative Methods
– Radiography
– Guided Wave Examination Methods (GWT) – Pulsed Eddy Current Method

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Inspection techniques (Indirect)

Qualitative Methods
– Visual Inspection with partial removal of Insulation – Thermal/Infrared Imagining Examination method

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CUI program

Corrosion under
Insulation Program

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Which one do you choose to inspect first?

1 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 13 14
S/N Material of Design temperature/ Operating temperature/ Cyclic or Intermittent Age of Age of Type of Protrusions in Service
construction pressure pressure service coating insulation Insulation Insulation
CS 150C / 10 bar 70C / 7 bar NA 5 years 5 years Rockwool Yes H2
CS 150C / 10 bar 70C / 7 bar NA 5 years 5 years Rockwool Yes BFW

1 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 13 14
S/N Material of Design temperature/ Operating temperature/ Cyclic or Intermittent Age of Age of Type of Protrusions in Service
construction pressure pressure service coating insulation Insulation Insulation
SS 150C / 10 bar 70C / 7 bar NA 5 years 5 years Rockwool Yes H2
CS 150C / 10 bar 70C / 7 bar NA 5 years 5 years Rockwool Yes BFW

1 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 13 14
S/N Material of Design temperature/ Operating temperature/ Cyclic or Intermittent Age of Age of Type of Protrusions in Service
construction pressure pressure service coating insulation Insulation Insulation
CS 300C / 10 bar 200C / 7 bar NA 5 years 5 years Rockwool Yes BFW
CS 150C / 10 bar 70C / 7 bar NA 5 years 5 years Rockwool Yes BFW

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Which one to inspect (after risk assessment)

1 4 5 6 7 8 9 11 12 10 13 14 15
S/N Material of Design Operating Cyclic or Age of Age of Conditio Conditio Type of Protrusions Service Risk
constructio temperature/ temperature/ Intermittent service coating insulatio n of n of Insulation in Ranking
n pressure pressure n coating insulatio Insulation
n Med
CS 300C / 10 bar 200C / 7 bar NA 20 20 Good Damage Rockwool Yes BFW Med - Low
years years d
CS 150C / 10 bar 70C / 7 bar NA 5 years 5 years Good Good Rockwool Yes BFW

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Corrosion under insulation

– Prevention/Mitigation
– Since most construction materials used are susceptible to CUI damage, mitigation is best achieved by applying an
appropriate coating to the equipment prior to insulating.
– High-quality, immersion-resistant nonmetallic coatings, properly applied to the surfaces to be insulated, can
provide long-term protection.
– Flame-sprayed aluminum coatings have been used on carbon steels. The coating corrodes preferentially by galvanic
action, thereby protecting the base metal.
– Insulation, insulation jacketing, sealants, and vapor barriers should be properly maintained to prevent moisture ingress.
– Careful selection of insulating materials is important. Both water absorption properties and water retention characteristics
are important and should be considered.

– 300 and Duplex SS

– Low-chloride insulation should be used on 300 series SS to minimize the potential for pitting and Cl− SCC
– Thin aluminum foil wrapped on stainless steel piping and equipment beneath the insulation can provide an effective
barrier, partly due to the galvanic effect of the aluminum in preventing Cl− SCC in stainless steel.

– Consider available alternatives in order to avoid the use of insulation where practical.

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Pictures

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Corrosion under insulation – Corroded examples

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 Thank you for your attention

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 Back up Slides

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Jacketting

– Metallic and Non Metallic Jacketing.

– Metallic Jacketing
– Metal jacketing is supplied as thin sheets and can be smooth, corrugated, or embossed. The inner surface of
metallic jacketing may be coated or covered with a moisture-resistant film to retard corrosion of the
jacketing. The types of metallic jacketing materials include aluminum, aluminized steel, aluminum-zinc
coated steel, galvanized steel, and Type 304 stainless steel.

– Non Metallic Jacketing

– Thermoplastic jackets are made from a variety of thermoplastic materials that include polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
and polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC), among others. Most often these materials are used for low-temperature
applications.

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Insulation material

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Coating

– high-build epoxy systems,

– epoxy phenolic systems,
– epoxy novolac systems,
– air-dried or modified silicone systems,
– inorganic copolymer systems or inert multipolymetric coating systems,
– fusion-bonded epoxies,
– thermal spray aluminum (TSA) (with or without a thinned epoxy sealer or silicone coating),
– Petrolatum or petroleum wax tape systems.
Surface Preparation requirements

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