Tjeldbergodden Methanol Plant: Metal Dusting Investigations

Metal dusting corrosion has been studied in Statoil since the decision to build the Tjeldbergodden Methanol Plant was made. In 1994 Statoil started an extensive research project aiming to find the best available materials for the equipment subjected to metal dusting corrosion. The project is still ongoing with both plant and laboratory testing where more than 40 different alloys from 12 vendors have been tested during the years.

In general, nickel-based alloys seem to have the best metal dusting resistance, although some iron-based alloys have outperformed the nickel-based ones. The overall picture is confusing due to the many variables involved such as material factors, process parameters and operation variables. Laboratory testing alone is not enough to predict the metal dusting resistance of a material, even with highly sophisticated equipment. Long term plant exposure in combination with laboratory exposures will give the best knowledge about metal dusting resistance of components in syngas environments.