Corrosion Monitoring Session

“Systemic Integration of Advanced NDE and Corrosion Monitoring for Improved Refining Reliability”

E. H. Niccolls, Chevron Energy Technology Company

A. Gallon, Chevron Energy Technology Company

K. Yamamoto, Idemitsu Kosan Corporation.

Overcoming corrosion to improve refining reliability has never been more important. Recent technological advances in the past few years now provide a quantum-jump increase in the capability to find and monitor corrosion.  This paper will describe how for the first time it may be possible to virtually eliminate failures for many of the corrosion mechanisms found in refining.  However, to take advantage of the technology it must be applied in a systematic way to match specific corrosion threats for each type of refinery processing unit.   This paper will classify three classes of corrosion mechanisms, and will describe corresponding NDE/Advanced Corrosion Monitoring strategies for two of these classes.  Some remaining technical and logistical hurdles will be described.  It will conclude with brief comments regarding potential “next generation” monitoring technologies.