Recent Experience on Sour Service Resistant Steels Behavior

The processing equipment for oil and gas treatments is often exposed to the sour environments containing wet hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), which is a naturally occurring component of crude oil and natural gas. A large part of this equipment is fabricated in Carbon-Manganese steels, which could be sensitive to wet H₂S cracking.
Hydrogen sulfide is responsible for numerous embrittlement phenomena in steels, such as Hydrogen Induced Cracking (HIC), Sulfide Stress Cracking (SSC), and Stress Oriented Hydrogen Induced Cracking (SOHIC). Some parameters influence Carbon-Manganese steels behavior in sour service conditions, where wet H₂S cracking mechanisms can operate.
This paper exposes recent experiences and achieved HIC, SSC, SOHIC results on sour service resistant steels. The effects of chemical composition, steel fabrication ways, heat treatments and steel plate’s thickness on cracking resistance in sour service environments containing wet hydrogen sulfide, are analyzed. Optimized solutions for wet H₂S service’s resistant steels are suggested.
 Keywords: Oil and Gas Treatment, Wet Hydrogen Sulfide, Carbon-Manganese Steels, Hydrogen Induced Cracking, Sulfide Stress Cracking, Stress Oriented Hydrogen Induced Cracking