Carburization

CARBURIZATION

• Carbon is absorbed into a material at

elevated temperature while in contact
with a carbonaceous material or
carburizing environment. Carburized
steel is brittle and may spall or crack.
Carburization can reduce (or eliminate)
the remaining sound metal wall thickness
and may also reduce the corrosion
resistance of stainless steel.
CARBURIZATION
• At high temperatures, the carbon will detach from the
surface and, under conducive conditions, diffuse
further into the metal. In certain metals, this may give
rise to attack. In the case of chromium- containing
alloys, such as stainless steel, progressive carbu-
rization can lead to reduced resistance against
oxidation and sulfidation arising from chromium
depletion by the separation of chromium carbides at
the grain boundaries.
• The resultant intergranular attack accompanying
carburization causes cracks in the alloy, which of
course impair its mechanical properties.
Carburization can occur in gases containing carbon
mon- oxide or hydrocarbons, such as methane,
propane, and so on. It may cause uniform attack or
bulging with cracking .
CARBURIZATION
• Carbon steel and low-alloy steels, 300 series SS
and 400 series SS, cast stainless steels, nickel
base alloys with significant iron content (e.g.
Alloys 600 and 800), and HK/HP alloys.
CARBURIZATION _ CRITICAL FACTORS

• Three conditions must be satisfied:

• exposure to a carburizing environment or
carbonaceous material;
• temperature high enough to allow diffusion of
carbon into the metal [typically above 1100 °F (595
°C)];
• susceptible material.
CARBURIZATION_ CRITICAL FACTORS
• Conditions favoring carburization include a high gas phase carbon activity (hydrocarbons,
coke, gases rich in CO, CO2, CH4, ethane) and low oxygen potential (minimal O2 or steam).
• Initially, carbon diffuses into the component at a high rate and then tapers off as the depth of
carburization increases.
• In carbon steels and low-alloy steels, carbon reacts to form a hard, brittle structure at the
surface that may crack or spall upon cooling.
• 300 series SS are more resistant than carbon steel and low-alloy steels due to their higher
chromium and nickel content.
• Carburization of 300 series SS can result in a reduction of chromium levels available to
provide corrosion protection. This has caused accelerated sulfidation of 300 series SS in
coker furnaces.
• Carburization can result in the loss of high-temperature creep ductility, loss of ambient
temperature mechanical properties (specifically toughness/ductility), loss of weldability, and
reduced corrosion resistance.
CARBURIZATION_ EQUIPMENT & UNITS
a) Fired heater tubes are the most common type of equipment
susceptible to carburization in the environments mentioned earlier.
b) Coke deposits are a source of carbon that may promote
carburization, particularly during steam/air decoke cycles where
temperatures exceed the normal operating temperatures, accelerating
the carburization.
c) Carburization is sometimes found in heater tubes in catalytic
reformers and coker units or other heaters where coke can form.
d) Carburization is also encountered in ethylene pyrolysis and steam
reformer furnaces.
CARBURIZATION_
MORPHOLOGY

• The depth of carburization can

be confirmed by metallography
• Carburization can be
confirmed by substantial
increases in hardness and loss
in ductility.
 CARBURIZATION_ MORPHOLOGY
Particle impingement with Oxygen / SS strainer
CARBURIZATION _ PREVENTION
MITIGATION

a) Select alloys with adequate resistance to carburization. This typically

includes alloys that form stable oxides on the surface. This benefit is commonly
achieved using an alumina-forming coating commonly referred to as alonizing.
b) Reduce the carbon activity of the process environment.
c) Add low levels of a reactive sulfur compound to the process stream to prevent
the absorption of carbon on the surface of the metal. Typically, sulfur levels less
than 10 ppm are needed to prevent carburization.
CARBURIZATION_ Inspection and Monitoring
1.Carburization can be determined accurately by destructive sampling, i.e. sampling for
chemical and/or physical testing.
2.Inspection for carburization in the initial stages of attack is difficult. If the process-side
surfaces are accessible, hardness testing and field metallography (replication) can be used.
Destructive sampling and electromagnetic based techniques (eddy current) have also been
used.
• In situ metallography (replication) is rarely used alone for evaluation of carburization and is best used in
combination with other NDE techniques.
• Hardness testing carries the same caution as hammer testing for heavily carburized tubes, as it may create a brittle
fracture initiation site.
3. Carburization causes the normally nonmagnetic wrought and cast heat-resistant alloys to
become magnetic. The resulting magnetic permeability provides a methodology for
monitoring the extent of carburization damage. Inspection techniques based on
determining increased levels of ferromagnetism (magnetic permeability) are also useful
for alloys that are paramagnetic when initially installed (austenitic alloys).
CARBURIZATION_ Inspection and Monitoring
1. In the advanced stages of carburization where cracking has initiated, RT, UT, and some
magnetic techniques, which can be combined for effectiveness, may be used.
2. Specialized time of flight diffraction (TOFD) has been used to determine the case depth
of carburization but requires trained technicians for application and interpretation.
3. Cast austenitic stainless steel tubes and Cr-Mo ferritic alloy tubes in fired heater/boiler
service should not be hammer tested when tubes are heavily carburized.
CARBURIZATION_ SUMMARY

DESCRIPTION geometric growth, ductility loss,

TEMP RANGE >1100F.
• AFFECTED METALLURGY Carbon steel and low-alloy steels, 300
series SS and 400 series SS, cast stainless steels, nickel base alloys with
significant iron content (e.g. Alloys 600 and 800), and HK/HP alloys
1.EQUIPMENT & UNITS: Heaters, Heating tubes in Coker and Catalityc
units
PREVENTION, reduce carbon activity in process environment, select
appropiate material,
INSPECTION METHOD destructive sampling, Replicas plus other NDE,
RT/UT to detect cracks, magnetic properties