High-temperature hydrogen attack occurs in steels that operate above a certain pressure and temperature in a hydrogen environment.
The Nelson curves are the set of graphs that have been widely used to delineate the safe operating conditions. Recent reports have found several incidents where HTHA occurred in the ‘safe’ region of the Nelson curves. In light of these findings, many companies are reexamining their approach to HTHA detection and analysis.
Need HTHA consulting?
From a metallurgical point-of-view, high-temperature hydrogen attack (HTHA) is an incredible example of the mobility and power of tiny hydrogen particles in steel structures. HTHA can have serious consequences and has recently been cited in a number of dangerous failures, including several fatalities. The difficulty of HTHA is that it hides from most traditional inspection techniques until significant damage has occurred. Our team includes hydrogen experts with skill at finding and evaluating the effects of HTHA.
Finding and Analyzing HTHA Damage
G2MT Labs is ready to help you find and analyze HTHA damage to determine appropriate actions. Our inspection team has years of experience performing field metallographic replication (FMR) and NDE analysis to find HTHA following the API 941 Part 6 guidelines for steels in hydrogen service. From there, the metallurgical evaluation team can help map, analyze, and determine the extent of HTHA for use in RBI and fitness-for-service programs.
G2MT Labs supports you with comprehensive testing capabilities to assess high temperature hydrogen attack at our Houston, Texas metallurgical testing facility. We have teams ready for on-site testing including field metallographic replication, and other destructive and nondestructive testing techniques. When hydrogen attack is found, we perform fitness-for-service assessment to determine the remaining life and help you determine the optimal operation and maintenance programs.
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