Accelerated Corrosion in Benfield Absorber

Upper half of Benfield absorber at FFC-MM has had a problematic history from corrosion
point of view. The paper discusses the problem identification, root cause determination, results
of progressive inspections carried out, remaining life assessment, solutions considered and
tried, and factors behind the decision to change the damaged portion of the Vessel

The new vessel was made available by rehabilitation of an old redundant shell by FFC-MM
using local facilities. An account of various issues faced during this phase and solutions
adopted with costs, activity durations and lessons learned is also presented. Information given
will be of interest to all those operators facing similar situation and wish to embark on a
comparable project.
Suhail Khalid Khawaja (Unit Manager Process), Fakhar Ul Hasan (Unit Manager Maintenance),
Mehmood Raza Gillani (Unit Manager operations, Ali Abrar (Section Head Inspection)
Fauji Fertilizer Company Limited

1N
Mechanical Details
OEM is M/S Hitachi Zosen Corporation, 40 mm
CW-19
Osaka Japan, Benfield Solution Absorber
Column C-302 stands tall almost 54.4 meters CW-18 1ME
high at FFC Plant III. The shell material is CW-17 5N

Carbon Steel ASTM A 516 Gr. 70 and the C1

CW-16
thickness varies from 34.5 mm to 57 mm Bed-1
34.5 mm
along the length as indicated in Fig.1. CW-15
2500
CS Paul Rings
2MD
CW-14 1MD
The whole column is stress relieved to
prevent stress corrosion cracking (SCC) CW-13 C2
Bed-2
which is a well known issue with these CW-12
CS Paul Rings
columns in this service. CW-11 2MC
42 mm

53 mm
History: CW-10
This equipment was commissioned in 1980. 4N 1MC
CW-9
The leakage through the reinforcement pad of
one of the manhole (1MD), between bed no.1 CW-8 47 mm
and 2 was observed in 1992. Major areas 3500
CW-7
affected by the corrosion are indicated as C1 2MB 1MB
& C2 in figure-1. Various measures were CW-6
adopted to control the problem including CW-5 Bed-4 48.5 mm
application of SS lining inside the vessel on CS Paul Rings
affected regions. The SS lining welds failed CW-4 2MA

and eventually the column upper half was CW-3

2N

replaced, above (Circumferential Weld) CW- 1MA 49 mm

2ME
CW-2
12 in 1994.
3N
In turnaround (TA)-1998 severe corrosion CW-1
57 mm
was observed at CW-14. This was followed
by repairs, post weld heat treatment (PWHT)
and radiography.
In TA-2002 the observed condition of the As an interim solution, Belzona epoxy
vessel found further deteriorated and weld coating was applied in area C2 to control
build up was carried out on corroded portion corrosion.
of the shell in the turnaround in area C2
without any PWHT.
This plant was then taken over by FFC in
year 2002. A detailed study was carried out
to identify the root cause of the problem and
inspection plan was developed to finalize
details of the repair/ remedial plan for this
chronic issue.

Figure 3 Close up view of the non passivated

corroded portion of the shell (area C1).

Figure: Internal view of the failed lining of

1994 removed upper half

TA-2003 Maintenance/ Inspection:

Active corrosion was noted in area C2.

Packing bed no.1 was also removed and deep
corrosion and channeling was also observed
at area C1. Minimum thickness noted was Figure 4 Close up view of the corroded weld
24.5 mm against design value of 34.5 mm. build up (area C2) which had been repaired
in TA-2002

Figure 2 A view of of Bed. No.1 after

unloading. Non passivated corroded areas are Figure 5 Belzona coated surface of the shell
visible. in area C2.
Areas of Concerns:
Online Thickness Mapping
TA 2002 weld build repair in area C2
Although ASME pressure vessel code does
not require PWHT for welding in this
thickness range, however due to
susceptibility of SCC, the manufacturing
standard for this service necessitates
providing PWHT to reduce stresses. This
repair was carried out without PWHT and the
vessel remained in service for one year with
this condition till TA-2003 when Belzona
coating was applied. Thus possibility of
cracks existed in these repairs. Figure Scaffolding being arranged for online
thickness monitoring of the shell in area C1.
Belzona epoxy coating
This was our first experience with this type
of coating for this application. So it was to be 7.9 m
kept under observation as pinholes or other
damages to the coating could lead to active
corrosion of carbon steel shell beneath, due 1.7 m
to non passivated condition.

Continual thickness loss

As up till now the root cause of the problem
was not addressed, therefore continual
Figure 6 A complete map of thickness
thickness loss in these areas of the column
profile at area C2
was an area of serious concern for the
integrity of pressure vessel.
Utilizing ultrasonic thickness measurement,
an extensive thickness monitoring was
Based on these concerns it was decided to
carried out up to 4.4 m length of the shell at
proceed with the following line of actions:
C2. Data was collected at more than 7000
points. The profile in Fig.6, indicated in red
1. Thickness mapping of the
(24 to 30.9 mm) and blue (31 to 34 mm)
corroded portions for integrity
shows low thicknesses along the
assessment.
circumference of the measured length.
2. On line thickness trending for
Corrosion rate trending
corrosion rates assessment
3. Selection of options available for 0.30
permanent solution of this
A v g C orros ion R ate in m m /m onth

0.24
0.25
0.22
problem 0.20
4. Determination of corrosion root 0.20 0.18
0.16
cause and remedial measures
0.15
It is evident from the history of this column
that the previous plant operators were not 0.10 0.08
able to identify the root cause of the 0.06

corrosion in these two packing bed areas and 0.05 0.03

only reactive maintenance was utilized to 0.00

keep it in operation. Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Oct Jan
Figure 7 corrosion rate trend in the year
2004 & 2005 at C1 Condition assessment

At area C1, points of low thicknesses were Based on the thickness mapping, the vessel
selected in North, South, East and West sides was analyzed on API-579 for the fitness for
for precision thickness monitoring on service evaluations. The results on Level- I
monthly basis. Based on this average and Level –II assessments were negative.
corrosion rate was determined. Note This meant Level-III assessment was
significant drop in corrosion rate after necessary to further analyze the integrity of
improvement in Hot and Cold solution ratio equipment against the thickness loss.
and replacement of distributor in Nov 2004.
Options for restoring vessel integrity

To restore the mechanical integrity of the

vessel following options were considered
Application of epoxy coating system
(Belzona -1311/1591/1321)
Replacement of damaged window
(rectangular section)
Application external banding
Provision of SS lining
Replacement of upper half

Figure Precision thickness monitoring to All the options were deliberated upon.
evaluate corrosion rate Following were the considerations and
reasons for acceptance/rejection.
Coating inspection in Nov 2004
Solution 1 to 4 required level 3 remaining life
During an emergency shutdown, after 20 assessment for which in house expertise was
months of operation, the applied belzona not available. Cost of external engineering
coating was inspected again. This time cracks assistance though not very high in absolute
and detachment was noted on the coating terms was not feasible to incur in view of low
surface. This was considered a serious cost of solution No. 5.
condition as it could result in aggravated
corrosion and more likely development of APPLICATION OF EPOXY COATING:
SCC. Epoxy coating had been applied in TA-2003.
It was an attractive option as it did not
require extended down time. However its
durability remained a cause for concern.
Lining was inspected in August 2003 (5
months operation) and was found in average
condition with slight wrinkles. It was
therefore concluded that the lining needed
continuous monitoring and inspections,
sometimes by removing the lining. This was
found impractical. Later in November 2004
(after 20 months operation) it was found in
deteriorated condition. By that time decision
Figure Cracks and detachment of the
to replace the vessel had been taken. The
Belzona epoxy coating.
observation confirmed the apprehension that engineering and material ordering were
Epoxy coating is not a permanent/long undertaken. In November 2004 final go
lasting solution. In itself the coating is ahead was given. The rehabilitation project
expensive. (See the cost chart)
Cost Comaprison of Different Options
REPLACEMENT OF DAMAGED 92,000

PORTION: 90,000
90,000

This option was considered in 1991 for the 88,600

original shell. The solution was not supported 88,000

Cost in US$
by repair contractor and SP on that basis that 86,000

it will induce uneven stresses and may cause

ovality of the vessel. 84,000 83,600

82,000

APPLICATION OF EXTERNAL
BANDING: 80,000
Banding Replacement Expoxy Coating

Solution
External Banding to reinforce the vessel was
proposed by engineering consultant. Detailed
analysis was required which was cost was to be completed before March 2005 (the
intensive. In any case the solution would not scheduled Turnaround)
have catered for the internal uneven surface To ensure on time implementation all pre TA
resulting in uneven wetting / passivation. activities were identified and planned. See
Epoxy coating could have been applied but attached bar chart. The job was completed
would require frequent inspections. two and half months after receipt of metal
sheets in Karachi even though it involved two
PROVISION OF S.S. LINING: trips to HMC-3 once for fabrication and then
This solution was tried in 1991. Could not be for Heat treatment.
implemented as the base metal was uneven
and required extensive stress relieving FABRICATION

REPLACEMENT OF UPPER HALF: ASSESSMENT OF REMOVED HALF

The shell removed in 1992 was available. Its A portion 19.9 meter length removed in
1992 was available. Condition was
detailed inspection was carried out. It was
assessed. A portion of 8.9 meter was found
determined that 11 meters length including in poor condition rest was usable.
Cap were in good condition. The vessel could
be salvaged at a fraction of cost of new REHABILITATION PLAN
vessel. Eventually this solution was chosen, The size of damaged portion was odd
as the cost was almost comparable to other since standard size sheets introduced an
solutions but was a permanent solution. additional circumferential weld joint.
Various combination and permutations
were tried and costs compared. Finally 4m
Therefore it was decided to replace the vessel & 3.5 m width sheet of 35 mm thickness
up to CW-13. were ordered. Another 2.7 m portion was
Replacement Planning obtained by cutting the shell from CW-13
Management decided to explore replacement instead of CW-12.
option in May 2004. From that time on till
October 2004, inspection/detailed
 LEGEND
New Figure: Welding in progress
Reclaimed
CW (HMC)
CW (FFC-III

MANUFACTURING
Only two agencies in Pakistan had the
facility to roll 4m wide and 35 mm thick
sheet. The order was placed on HMC-3 who
not only rolled but also welded the shell.
The tolerances were specified as per SP
specifications. New shell was finally joined
with existing shell courses without
significant difficulty.

LOGISTICAL ISSUES Figure: Pre-heating arrangement of manhole

Owing to short time available and location nozzle welding with shell
of sheet rolling / heat treatment facility,
complex logistical issues were involved.
These were controlled through bar charts SIMULATION
and consistent follow up with vendors. To simulate final field joint one
circumferential joint was welded with
CIRCUMFERENTIAL WELDS vessel in vertical position. This helped in
A total of four circumferential welds were training of fabricators and welders.
made during prefabrication phase. One was
machine welded at HMC-3. Three were
manually welded in FFC workshop. The
joints were preheated with natural gas.
Internal and external ring headers with
holes were fabricated to evenly preheat the
joint. Monitoring was carried out with laser
gun by inspection unit.
The completed joints were radiographed
after root pass and then at joint
completion. Stress relieving was skipped as
whole vessel was to be furnace heat
treated.

Figure Circumferential weld being made in

vertical position to simulate field conditions.

HEAT TREATMENT
The whole vessel (20m length) was
transported to HMC-3 who performed the INSTALLATION
heat treatment. FFC provided the heat
treatment procedure and reviewed the data
RIGGING
before dispatch of the vessel.

The weight and height combination

made the rigging difficult. The weight of
vessel consisted of its own weight and weight
of packing. To optimize size of crane it was
decided to unload the packing from 1st bed.
Final weight to be lifted was 50 tons.

Figure: Newly fabricated shell being shipped

to HMC for furnace heat treatment

Figure Old half being removed.

Initially construction of pavement

was foreseen. However after careful review
of site conditions it was observed that site is
well compacted and filled with crush. Two
80 mm C. S. sheets of 8’ x 4’ size were
HYDRAULIC TEST placed under each jack. The arrangement
A special flat plate blind was manufactured remained satisfactory.
to perform the hydraulic test. A two stage
grid of 10” H beams were used to provide
reinforcement. Hydraulic test was carried
Coles 310 mobile crane was chosen
out at 39 KG/Cm2. A deflection of 50 mm as it offered considerable flexibility in
was noted in the pressurized condition. comparison with ringer crane and was
previously used and found OK.The crane was
load tested at vendor premises and again after
assembly at FFC-worksite.

Figure Preheating arrangement for welding

of end plate for hydrostatic testing.
Figure New half, ready for installation.

UNLOADING OF PACKING
Packing had to be unloaded to reduce
the load to be lifted. To speed up this activity
an additional davit was bolted on the 2nd bed
packing loading flange. Pre TA simulation
were carried out to ensure safety of operation
and reliability of winch.

Figure Lower half end cut and beveled with

automatic beveling machine.

POSITIONING & ALIGNMENT

To ensure correct positioning,

external tapering lugs were welded on the
bottom portion. Four jack bolts were
provided to vertically align the vessel.
Alignment was carried out with the help of
theodolite at two locations separated by 90°.

WELDING

Welding was performed by previously

trained welder. Welding was 1st performed
from inside, back gouged from outside X-
rayed and then welded from outs the x-rayed
CUTTING OF VESSEL and stress relieved joint completion time
(from tacking to completion of heat treatment
Fast, clean and accurate cutting of was 88 hrs. 3 to 4 welders worked
vessel at the required point was a critical simultaneously. Close coordination with Q.
activity. This was accomplished with a track C. ensured on time x-ray results and stress
mounted gas cutter available from a previous relieving.
project. The tool not only cut the vessel but
also beveled it at the required angle. This
single operation was completed within couple
of hours.
 PRECAUTIONS/LESSONS LEARNED /
TIPS FOR MECHANICAL FABRICATION

Transportation
• Know the highway rules for
transportation.
• Length, height, width diameter and
weight of all objects to be transported
should be carefully reviewed and
communicated to the transportation
contractor.
Figure Pre-heating elements being fixed on • Consider prime mover engine power
the main joint. while reviewing the quotations.
• Discuss the transportation route with
the contractor.
• Run pilot vehicle provided with
communication equipment on all
critical transportations including
crane.
Crane and Rigging
• The crane should be accompanied by
specialist technicians to provide
instant services in case of a break
down. The crane contractor should
have a system of dispatching any
required spare part at a short notice.
Figure Welding of field joint in progress. • In addition to drawings carefully
measure actual height of lifting lug
OVERALL PROJECT SCHEDULE from ground.
• In cases where the crane is operating
The planned mechanical activity time was at the limits, size of slings should be
305 hrs. Job was completed in 299 hrs. carefully calculated.
TIME SAVING • Fabrication
To three main following activities were • Cooperation from HMC-3 was of
planned to reduce execution time: high level. Job has handled by them
Parallel unloading/loading of Pall rings from in a professional manner.
bed no. 1 and 2. • Before dispatch of vessel for furnace
Cutting of shell with track mounted shell heat treatment verify that all internal
cutting machine. and external attachments have been
Pre installation of platforms on new shell to welded
cut scaffolding time. • Size of new vessel should be kept 1 to
1.5 m extra to cater for welding of
hydraulic test blind and final
adjustments.
• For field joint Vessel should be cut at
a distance from the weld joint.
Cutting exactly from the weld joint
would result in problems in re-
welding and subsequent inspections.
 • Review position of jack bolts lugs etc.
with agency carrying out heat
treatment to avoid any later
difficulties.

Figure Internal view of the removed shell, all

surfaces found well passivated.

Conclusion

Root cause analysis is a prime factor for

elimination of problems. Reactive
maintenance does not address the chronic
Figure Corrosion pattern on the removed nature of the problems and adds to the
shell. maintenance costs and efforts. Systematic
team based efforts help in achieving
challenging targets.
 ember 01 January 21 January 11 February 01 March 21 Ma
ID Tas k Name Duration Start Finis h 19-12 26-12 02-01 09-01 16-01 23-01 30-01 06-02 13-02 20-02 27-02 06-03 13-03 20-03
1 Manufacturing at HMC-3 28 days Wed 05-01-05 Tue 01-02-05
2 Receipt of Shell Plates at HMC-3 0 days Wed 05-01-05 Wed 05-01-05 05-01
3 Cutting and beveling of straight s he 8 days Wed 05-01-05 Wed 12-01-05 05-01 12-01
4 Rolling of s heets 3 days Thu 13-01-05 Sat 15-01-05 13-01 15-01
5 Welding of longitudinal seams 2 days Sun 16-01-05 Mon 17-01-05 16-01 17-01
6 RT and Repairs 2 days Tue 18-01-05 Wed 19-01-05 18-01 19-01
7 Eid Holidays 4 days Thu 20-01-05 Sun 23-01-05 20-01 23-01
8 Welding of circumferential seam 2 days Mon 24-01-05 Tue 25-01-05 24-01 25-01
9 Heat Treatment 3 days Wed 26-01-05 Fri 28-01-05 26-01 28-01
10 Shipment of Shell 0 days Fri 28-01-05 Fri 28-01-05 28-01
11 Transportation 4 days Sat 29-01-05 Tue 01-02-05 29-01 01-02
12 Manufacturing at MM Phase1 23 days Wed 05-01-05 Thu 27-01-05
13 Cutting of s hell to remove damaged 5 days Wed 05-01-05 Sun 09-01-05 05-01 09-01
14 Beveling 3 days Mon 10-01-05 Wed 12-01-05 10-01 12-01
15 Alignment and tacking 3 days Thu 13-01-05 Sat 15-01-05 13-01 15-01
16 Welding of circumferential seams 3 days Sun 16-01-05 Tue 18-01-05 16-01 18-01
17 Repair 1 day Wed 19-01-05 Wed 19-01-05 19-01 19-01
18 Eid holidays 4 days Thu 20-01-05 Sun 23-01-05 20-01 23-01
19 Welding of Ring 4 days Mon 24-01-05 Thu 27-01-05 24-01 27-01
20 Manufacturing at MM phase 2 13 days Tue 01-02-05 Mon 14-02-05
21 Receipt of s hell from HMC-3 0 days Tue 01-02-05 Tue 01-02-05 01-02
22 Vertical leveling & Beveling 2 days Wed 02-02-05 Thu 03-02-05 02-02 03-02
23 Alignment and tacking 1 day Fri 04-02-05 Fri 04-02-05 04-02 04-02
24 Welding of circumferential seam 2 days Sat 05-02-05 Sun 06-02-05 05-02 06-02
25 Marking and cutting of nozzle 1 day Mon 07-02-05 Mon 07-02-05 07-02 07-02
26 Nozzles tacking and welding 2 days Tue 08-02-05 Wed 09-02-05 08-02 09-02
27 Ring marking (03 Nos ) 1 day Thu 10-02-05 Thu 10-02-05 10-02 10-02
28 Ring welding (3 Nos ) 2 days Fri 11-02-05 Sat 12-02-05 11-02 12-02
29 Pads m arking and welding 1 day Sun 13-02-05 Sun 13-02-05 13-02 13-02
30 Ins ulation ring and Platform attachm 1 day Mon 14-02-05 Mon 14-02-05 14-02 14-02
31 Heat Treatment 15 days Tue 15-02-05 Tue 01-03-05
32 Transportation to HT Shop 4 days Tue 15-02-05 Fri 18-02-05 15-02 18-02
33 Heat Treatment 7 days Sat 19-02-05 Fri 25-02-05 19-02 25-02
34 Transportation Back to MM 4 days Sat 26-02-05 Tue 01-03-05 26-02 01-03
35 Hydraulic Test 21 days Tue 15-02-05 Mon 07-03-05
36 Fabrication of end plate 10 days Tue 15-02-05 Thu 24-02-05 15-02 24-02
37 Welding with ves s el 2 days Wed 02-03-05 Thu 03-03-05 02-03 03-03
38 Water filling 1 day Fri 04-03-05 Fri 04-03-05 04-03 04-03
39 Tes t 1 day Sat 05-03-05 Sat 05-03-05 05-03 05-03
40 Draining 2 days Sun 06-03-05 Mon 07-03-05 06-03 07-03
41 Completed 0 days Mon 07-03-05 Mon 07-03-05 07-03
 Cost Chart
Application of Epoxy Coating (Belzona 1311/1591/1321)

• Rate/SFT =$ 110 / Square Feet

• Total Area = 760 Square Feet

• Total Cost = $ 83,600

Replacement of Damaged Window / Application of external Banding

• Engineering Cost = $ 30,000

• Crane Rental = $ 35,000

(To hold vessel during Stress relieving)

• Heat Treatment = $ 25,000

(4 seams)

Total = $ 90,000

Cost of Replacement with rehabilitated shell

• Cost of material = $ 38,300

• Fabrication Cost = $ 12,800

• Crane Rental = $ 37,500

• Total = $ 88,600