Sulfide stress cracking

Sulfide stress cracking (SSC) is a form of corrosion that occurs in materials, particularly low alloy steels, when exposed to hydrogen sulfide (H2S). It is caused by the combination of hydrogen embrittlement and the presence of sulfide ions, which can lead to cracking and failure of the material. Mitigation strategies include controlling hardness and chemical composition of the material.From: Mitigation of Gas Pipeline Integrity Problems [2020], The effect of heat treatment on environment assisted cracking susceptibility of 9% Ni steel [2021]

Natural and Process Compressors

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Purchase Book

Published in Leslie R. Rudnick, Synthetics, Mineral Oils, and Bio-Based Lubricants, 2020

Glenn D. Short

H2S is commonly found in hydrocarbon applications, called sour gas. Many refinery processes use gas scrubbers upstream of the compressor to remove the majority of the H2S, where it is first converted to SO2 and then used to produce sulfur. Equipment that comes in contact with H2S environments should be rated for sour service as certain alloys, especially steels, react with H2S to form metal sulfides and atomic H2 as corrosion by-products. The result can be sulfide stress cracking (SSC), a form of H2 embrittlement.

The effect of heat treatment on environment assisted cracking susceptibility of 9% Ni steel

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Journal Information

Published in Corrosion Engineering, Science and Technology, 2021

Jonas da Silva de Sa, Rafael da Silva Gama, Jose Antonio da Cunha Ponciano Gomes

Similar studies with low alloy steels reported that these materials are susceptible to degradation caused by hydrogen sulphide, mainly due to hydrogen-induced cracking (HIC) or sulphide stress cracking (SSC). However, higher H2S concentrations and lower environment pH may lead to the formation of an iron sulphide layer on the steel surface. This corrosion product layer has been shown to hinder the hydrogen permeation into metals, acting as a barrier [6,7].

Sulfide stress cracking

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The effect of heat treatment on environment assisted cracking susceptibility of 9% Ni steel