Safety process for pressure
equipment in contact with corrosive fluids
EP 0888176 B1
Abstract (text from
WO1997034690A1)
Method
for the safety and extension of the operating life of pressure equipment
comprising an internal chamber suitable for containing a process fluid,
surrounded by a pressure-resistant body (1) equipped with weep-holes (2),
consisting of a material subject to corrosion by contact with said process
fluid during operation, coated inside with an anticorrosive lining (4) made
up of several elements welded to each other, wherein said lining weldings (3)
are completely isolated from contact with the process fluid of the normal
operating run, by a coating with adjoining strips (or plates) (10, 10', 10',
10'''), of the same material as said lining (4) or other corrosion-resistant
material weldable thereto, which are subsequently seal-welded on the edges to
said lining (4) and to each other, characterized in that the arrangement and welding
of the edges of these strips (10, 10', 10', 10''') are such as to create a
network of underlying interstices (or meati) (9, 11), communicating with each
other and with at least one weep-hole (2).
Claims
- Method for increasing the safety of a pressure
equipment comprising an internal chamber suitable for containing a
process fluid, surrounded by a pressure-resistant body (1) endowed with
weep-holes (2) and made of a material subject to corrosion by contact
with said process fluid during running operation, coated inside with an
anticorrosive lining (4) made up of several elements welded to each
other, by avoiding contact of said pressure-resistant body with the
process fluid as a result of a possible loss from the weldings (3), said
method comprising the following steps:
a) extension of at least a part of
the weep-holes (2) through the lining (4) to form an outlet in the internal
surface of the equipment;
b) covering the weldings (3) with
adjoining strips or flat plates (10) of the same material as the lining or
other corrosion-resistant material weldable thereto, previously shaped to
suitably lay on the surface of the lining near the weldings;
c) placing on the outlets of the
weep-holes (2) further strips (10) of the same material as the lining, or
other corrosion-resistant as the lining, or other corrosion-resistant
material weldable thereto, each adjoining to at least one of the above strips
(10) of step (b), until all the outlets are covered;
d) hermetically welding the edges of
each strip (10) of steps (b) and (c) onto the lining (4) and edges of other
adjoining strips, to obtain, between each of these strips and the underlying
surface of the lining and/or its weldings, (3)a hermetic interstitial space
with respect to the internal chamber and suitable for the flow of the process
fluid;
characterized in that: at least a part of the weldings between the adjoining
edges of the adjoining strips are effected so that beneath any such welding
there is an opening (17) between the existing interstitial spaces on each
side of the welding, these openings being hermetic with respect to the
internal chamber and in such a number and so arranged as to put each
interstitial space, in communication with at least one of the weep-hole
outlets.
- Method according to claim 1, wherein said
equipment is comprised in a plant for the production of urea.
- Method according to claim 2, wherein said
equipment is a reactor for the synthesis of urea, or a condenser of
carbamate, or a decomposer of carbamate.
- Method according to any of the previous claims,
wherein the operating pressure of said equipment is between 100 and 500
bars.
- Method according to any of the previous claims,
wherein said pressure-resistant body has a thickness of between 20 and
400 mm, and is made of carbon or low-alloy steel, and said
anti-corrosive lining has a thickness of between 2 and 30 mm and
basically consists of a metal, or metal alloy, selected from titanium,
Zirconium, lead, vanadium, tantalium, ASIS 316L steel (urea grade), INOX
25/22/2Cr/Ni/Mo steel or special austeniticferritic steels.
- Method according to any of the previous claims,
wherein said pressure-resistant body is of the single-wall annealed
type.
- Method according to any of the previous claims,
wherein, in said step (a), between 70 and 100% of the original
weep-holes are extended as far as the internal chamber.
- Method according to any of the previous claims,
wherein, in said steps (b) and (c), the strips (or flat plates) have a
width of between 50 and 300 mm, and a thickness of between 2 and 30 mm.
- Method according to any of the previous claims,
wherein, before steps (b) and/or (c), a groove is produced along the
surface of the lining, or along the weldings thereof, in the area
subsequently covered by the covering strips (or flat plates).
- Method according to claim 9, wherein the groove
has a width of between 5 and 20 mm, and a depth of between 1 and 5 mm.
- Method according to any of the previous claims,
wherein, in said steps (b) and (c), the adjoining edges of the strips
(or flat plates) are arranged on top of each other.
- Method according to any of the previous claims
from 1 to 10, wherein, in said steps (b) and (c), the adjoining edges of
the strips (or flat plates) are arranged adjacent to each other.
- Method according to claim 12, wherein the adjacent
adjoining edges are only partly welded, leaving an unwelded part between
the two ends, preferably having a length of between 5 and 30 mm; this
unwelded part is subsequently covered by a plate of the same material as
the strips, or veldable thereto; and the edges of the plate are then
hermetically welded onto the underlying metal, so as to form a
communication opening, underneath each plate and adjoining edges.
- Method according to claim 13, wherein the dimensions
of the plate are between 20 and 200 mm and the thickness is between 4
and 25 mm.
- Pressure equipment with an improved safety degree
and life, which can be obtained with the method according to any of the
claims from 1 to 14, comprising an internal chamber suitable for
containing process fluid, surrounded by a pressure-resistant body (1)
endowed with weep-holes, (2) made of a material subject to corrosion by
contact with said process fluid during running operation, lined,
internally, with an anti-corrosive lining (4) made up of several
elements joined to each other by weldings, wherein, in said equipment,
at least a part of the weep-holes (2) is extended towards said lining
(4) until an outlet is formed the internal chamber, and wherein said
weldings (3) of the lining and weep-hole outlets are completely covered
with adjoining strips or flat plates, (10) of the same material as said
lining or other corrosion-resistant material weldable thereto, which are
seal-welded on the edges to said lining and to each other to avoid
contact of said lining weldings and outlets with the process fluid
during normal operation, and they form, in the underlying area,
interstitial spaces which are hermetic with respect to the internal
chamber, characterized in that at least a part of the weldings between
the adjoining edges of the adjoining strips are effected so that beneath
any such welding there is an opening (17) between the existing
interstitial spaces on each side of the welding, these openings being
hermetic with respect to the internal chamber and in such a number and
so arranged as to put each interstitial space in communication with at
least one of the weep-hole outlets.
- Equipment according to claim 15, wherein said
pressure-resistant body has a thickness of between 20 and 400 mm, and is
made of carbon or low-alloy steel, and said anti-corrosive lining has a
thickness of between 2 and 30 mm and basically consists of a metal, or
metal alloy, selected from titanium, zirconium, lead, vanadium,
tantalium, ASIS 316L steel (urea grade), INOX 25/22/2Cr/ Ni/Mo steel or
special austenitic-ferritic steels.
- Equipment according to any of the previous claims
15 and 16, wherein the pressure-resistant body is of the single-wall,
annealed type.
- Equipment according to any of the previous claims
from 15 to 17, wherein the strips (or flat plates) have a width of
between 50 and 300 mm, and a thickness of between 2 and 30 mm.
- Equipment according to any of the previous claims
from 15 to 18, wherein there is a groove along the surface of the
lining, or along the weldings thereof, in the area underlying the
covering strips (or flat plates).
- Equipment according to any of the previous claims
from 15 to 18, wherein the adjoining edges of the strips (or flat
plates) are arranged adjacent to e each other.
- Equipment according to the previous claim 20,
wherein the adjacent adjoining edges are only partly welded, leaving an
unwelded part between the two ends, preferably having a length of
between 5 and 30 mm; this unwelded part is subsequently covered by a
plate of the same material as the strips, or weldable thereto, whose
edges are hermetically welded onto the underlying metal, so as to form a
communication opening, underneath each plate and adjoining edges.
- Equipment according to the previous claim 21,
wherein the dimensions of the plate are between 20 and 200 mm and the
thickness is between 4 and 25 mm.
Description
- [0001] The present invention relates to a method
for the safety of pressure equipment in contact with corrosive fluids
and to the modified equipment thus obtained.
- [0002] More specifically, the present invention
relates to a method for the safety of equipment normally operating under
pressure, which is in contact with corrosive fluids and therefore
comprises anticorrosive lining overlying the sealing structure
(pressure-resistant body).
- [0003] Typical equipment of this kind is that
which is present in many industrial chemical plants, such as, for
example, reactors, heat-exchangers, condensers and evaporators, whose
operating conditions comprise pressures of between 50 and 1000 bars and
temperatures of between 100 and 500°C, in contact with acid, basic or
generally saline fluids having high corrosive potential especially with
respect to carbon or low-alloy steel which is the material normally
selected for the sealing of equipment.
- [0004] Typical processes which require the use of
high pressure equipment in contact with corrosive fluids are, for
example, those for the production of urea by direct synthesis starting
from ammonia and carbon dioxide. In these processes, ammonia generally
in excess and carbon dioxide are reacted in one or more reactors, at
pressures usually of between 100 and 250 bars and temperatures of
between 150 and 240°C, obtaining a mixture at the outlet consisting of a
water solution of urea, ammonium carbamate not transformed into urea and
the excess ammonia used in the synthesis. The reaction mixture is
purified of the ammonium carbamate contained therein by its
decomposition in decomposers operating, in succession, at gradually
decreasing pressures. In most of the existing processes, the first of
these decomposers operates at pressures which are basically equal to the
synthesis pressure or slightly lower, and normally uses
"stripping" agents to decompose the ammonium carbamate with
the contemporaneous removal of the decomposition products. The
"stripping" agents can be inert gases, or ammonia or carbon
dioxide, or mixtures of inert gases with ammonia and/or carbon dioxide,
the "stripping" also being possible by using the excess
ammonia dissolved in the mixture coming from the reactor (autostripping)
without supplying therefore any external agent.
- [0005] The decomposition products of ammonium
carbamate (NH3 and CO2) together with the possible
"stripping" agents, excluding inert gases, are normally
condensed in suitable condensers obtaining a liquid mixture comprising
water, ammonia and ammonium carbamate, which is recycled to the
synthesis reactor. In plants which are technologically more advanced, at
least one condensation step is carried out at pressures which are
basically equal to or slightly lower than those of the reactor.
- [0006] As a reference, it is possible to cite,
among the many existing ones, patents U.S. 3.886.210, U.S. 4.314.077,
U.S. 4.137.262, and published European patent application 504.966, which
describe processes for the production of urea with the above
characteristics. A wide range of processes mainly used for the
production of urea is provided in "Encyclopedia of Chemical
Technology", 3° Edition (1983), Vol.23, pages 548-574, John Wiley
& Sons Ed.
- [0007] The most critical steps in the process are
those in which the ammonium carbamate is at its highest concentration
and highest temperature, and therefore in the above processes, these
steps coincide with the reactor and subsequent equipment for the
decompostion (or stripping) and condensation of the ammonium carbamate
operating under analogous or similar conditions to those of the reactor.
The problem to be solved in this equipment is that of the corrosion
and/or erosion caused by the ammonium carbamate, ammonia and carbon
dioxide which act as highly corrosive agents, especially in the presence
of water, at the high temperatures and pressures necessary for the
synthesis of urea.
- [0008] Various solutions to the problems of
corrosion of the type described above have been proposed, many of which
have been applied in existing industrial plants. Numerous metals and
alloys are in fact known which are capable of resisting for sufficiently
long periods, in various cases, to potentially corrosive conditions
which are created inside industrial chemical equipment. Among these
lead, titanium, zirconium, tantalium and several stainless steels such
as, for example, AISI 316L (urea grade), INOX 25/22/2 Cr/Ni/Mo steel,
austenitic-ferritic steels, etc., can be mentioned. However, for
economic reasons, the above type of equipment is not normally entirely
constructed with these corrosion-resistant alloys or metals. Usually
hollow bodies, containers or columns are produced in normal carbon or
low-alloy steel, possibly with several layers, having a thickness
varying from 20 to 400 mm, depending on the geometry and the pressure to
be sustained (pressure-resistant body), whose surface in contact with
the corrosive or erosive fluids is uniformly covered with an
anticorrosive metal lining from 2 to 30 mm thick.
- [0009] In the above plant equipment or units, the
anti-corrosive lining is produced by the assembly and welding of
numerous elements appropriately shaped to adhere as much as possible to
the form of the pressure-resistant body, in order to create, at the end,
a structure hermetically-sealed against the high operating pressure. The
different junctions and weldings carried out for this purpose frequently
require the use of particular techniques depending on the geometry and
nature of the parts to be joined.
- [0010] Whereas stainless steel can be welded to
the underlying "pressure-resistant body" made of carbon steel,
but has a higher thermal expansion coefficient which favours, during
operation, the creation of fractures along the welding line, titanium
cannot be welded to steel and in any case has analogous fracture
problems in the weldings as it has an expansion coefficient which is
much lower than carbon steel.
- [0011] For this reason resort is made to
techniques which often require complex equipment and operating
procedures. In certain cases the lining is effected by welding deposit
instead of plates welded to each other and onto the pressure-resistant
body. In other cases, especially with materials which cannot be welded
to each other, it is necessary to "explode" the lining onto
the pressure-resistant body to be sure of obtaining a satisfactory
support.
- [0012] A certain number of "weep-holes"
are however applied to all the above equipment for the detection of
possible losses of anticorrosion lining.
- [0013] A weep-hole normally consists of a small
pipe 5-30 mm in diameter made of a material which is resistant to
corrosion and is inserted in the pressure-resistant body until it
reaches the contact point between the latter and the lining in
corrosion-resistant alloy or metal. If there is a loss of lining, owing
to the high pressure, the internal fluid, which is corrosive,
immediately spreads to the interstitial area between the lining and the
pressure-resistant body and, if not detected, causes rapid corrosion of
the carbon steel of which the latter is made. The presence of weep-holes
enables these losses to be detected. For this purpose all interstitial
areas underneath the anticorrosion lining must communicate with at least
one weep-hole. The number of weep-holes is usually from 2 to 4 for each
ferrule, therefore, for example, in a reactor of average dimensions,
having a surface expansion of about 100 m2, there are normally
about 20 weep-holes.
- [0014] The above equipment also has, normally in
the upper part, at least one circular opening, called
"man-hole", which allows access to operators and equipment for
inspections and minor internal repairs. These openings usually have
diameters of between 45 and 60 cm and at the most allow the passage of
objects having a section within these dimensions.
- [0015] In spite of the above measures, it is
generally known that the welding lines and points of the protective
"lining" form a weak point in the structure of chemical
equipment. In fact microfractures can be found during operation for the
above reasons of different thermal expansion between the materials of
the pressure-resistant body and anticorrosive lining, and also preferential
corrosions on the weldings or surrounding areas, owing to imperfections
in the structure of the metal and to differences in the electrochemical
potential between the welded metals. A loss of protective lining
therefore most probably occurs near its welding points. On the other
hand there is no possibility in practice of applying a monoblock lining.
- [0016] As already mentioned, in the case of a
loss, the fluid flows out of the lining and floods the interstices or
meati or void channels present between the lining and pressure-resistant
body. In these cases the loss is normally detected through the
weep-hole, but corrosion may occur however, even extensively, in the
underlying carbon steel, before the loss is noticed. In the most serious
cases which have led to serious corrosion and explosion of the
equipment, the outflowing fluid, for example a concentrated solution of
ammonium carbamate in a synthesis plant of urea, can form semisolid
mixtures together with the corrosion residues, blocking the vents towards
the weep-holes, thus preventing the loss itself to be detected. In the
site of the loss, which can no longer be revealed, the corrosive fluid
continues its action on the pressure-resistant body, deeply corroding
the structure, making it unusable, or even worse, causing the equipment
to explode.
- [0017] In order to avoid these phenomena, numerous
solutions have been proposed, such as, for example, in German patent DE
2.052.929, according to which a cover is made with a double lining
interrupted by communication channels, thus incurring a considerable
increase in the production costs of the equipment, and without providing
a satisfactory solution to the problem of the contact of the
pressure-resistant body with the process fluid in the case of a possible
loss.
- [0018] DE-A-3720603 discloses a method for the
increasing of safety of a pressure equipment wherein many weep-holes are
carried out in the body, laterally to the weldings of the
corrosion-resistant lining, up to hole the same lining in corresponding
points. Then plates are placed to cover the weldings and each plate
forms a space below, connected to a weep-hole.
- [0019] In practice, however, most of the existing
chemical plants, especially those not of recent construction, have a
simple lining with circular and longitudinal weldings, in which the only
safety element for detecting losses is represented by weep-holes. For
the safety regulations presently required, this solution is completely
unsatisfactory and there is a strong demand in the field for increasing
both the average operating life and the capacity and rapidity of
detecting possible losses (with a consequent increase in security) of
the chemical equipment in contact with corrosive substances.
- [0020] The Applicant has now found a satisfactory
and advantageous solution to the above drawbacks with a simple and
innovative approach which allows an increase in the duration and
reliability of pressure equipment comprising a pressure-resistant body
consisting of a material subject to corrosion by contact with the
process fluid, and an internal anticorrosive lining in contact with said
fluid, even when this equipment is already operating in the plant.
Particularly in the latter case, the safety process can be carried out
without removing the equipment from the plant and using the man-hole as
the only operative access to the inside of the equipment.
- [0021] The present invention therefore relates to
a method for increasing the safety of a pressure equipment comprising an
internal chamber suitable for containing a process fluid, surrounded by
a pressure-resistant body endowed with weep-holes, consisting of a
material subject to corrosion by contact with said process fluid during
running operation, coated inside with an anticorrosive lining made up of
several elements welded to each other, by avoiding contact of said
pressure-resistant body with the process fluid as a result of a possible
loss from the weldings, said method comprising the following steps:
- a) extension of at least a part of the weep-holes
through the lining so as to form an outlet in the internal surface of
the equipment;
- b) covering the weldings with adjoining strips or
plates of the same material as the lining or other corrosion-resistant
material weldable thereto, previously shaped to suitably lay on the
surface of the lining near the weldings;
- c) placing on the outlets of the weep-holes
further strips of the same material as the lining, or other
corrosion-resistant material weldable thereto, each adjoining to at
least one of the above strips of step (b), until all the outlets are
covered;
- d) hermetically welding the edges of each strip of
steps (b) and (c) onto the lining and edges of other adjoining strips,
to obtain, between each of these strips and the underlying surface of
the lining and/or its weldings, a hermetic interstitial space with
respect to the internal chamber and suitable for the flow of the process
fluid;
characterized in that;
at least a part of the weldings between the adjoining edges of the
adjoining strips are effected so that beneath any such welding there is
an opening between the existing interstitial spaces on each side of the
welding, these openings being hermetic with respect to the internal
chamber and in such a number and so arranged as to put each interstitial
space, in communication with at least one of the weep-hole outlets.
- [0022] According to the above method, the
different overlying elements are so arranged as to form the internal
wall of the equipment, so that, in case of a loss at a point near the
welding in contact with the process fluid, the fluid itself, before
reaching one of the weep-holes appropriately extended towards the lining
(normally corresponding to those already existing before the safety
intervention), enters in contact only with the surfaces of a
corrosion-resistant material, thus avoiding any possible damage of the
pressure-resistant body. At the same time, the arrangement of the
different parts inside the equipment and the presence of meati passing
between the weldings of two adjoining covering strips, ensures the rapid
detection of the fluid flowing out of a possible loss, using the same
weep-holes existing before the intervention of the present invention. It
is therefore possible to rapidly detect a possible loss during operation
from a welding of the lining complex, and at the same time maintaining
the integrity of the pre-existing structure as it is not normally
necessary to apply other weep-holes, and avoiding any contact of the
pressure-resistant body with the process fluids at the moment of a
possible loss.
- [0023] The application, during the embodiment of
the method, of one or more weep-holes in addition to those already
existing is not, however, excluded from the scope of the present
invention, especially when particular geometries and arrangements of the
elements make it necessary (for example near the outlets), provided the
number is limited, normally less than 30%, preferably less than 10% than
the original ones.
- [0024] A further object of the present invention
relates to equipment obtained by the embodiment of the above method. In
this equipment the original weldings of the lining are not in contact
with the process fluid during operation, as they are covered,
hermetically, by the above strips (or plates) of corrosion-resistant
material. The risk is thus avoided of a prolonged action of the process
fluid on these weldings causing their perforation, by local corrosion or
erosion, with the consequent disastrous effects of an outflow of the
fluid in direct contact with the easily corrodible material of the
pressure-resistant body. In the case of a possible loss of one of the
weldings subsequently effected on the edges of the covering strips to
ensure the hermetic sealing of the underlying interstices (or meati),
the process fluid is directed into these until it reaches the nearest
outlet of a weep-hole, but it has no corrosive effect, at least in the
relatively rapid times necessary for detecting the loss, on the surfaces
of the materials with which it is in contact, as these materials, in
accordance with the present invention, are all resistant to corrosion.
- [0025] As previously specified, the method of the
present invention can be particularly applied to the high or medium
pressure section of a plant for the synthesis of urea. These can be
basically identified in synthesis reactors of urea, equipment for the
decomposition of non-transformed carbamate and containers for the
condensation of NH3 and CO2 with the formation of
carbamate solutions.
- [0026] The term "adjoining strips (or
plates)" as used in the present invention and claims, refers to two
or more strips, each of which has at least a part of the edge adjacent
to or in contact with at least a part of the other. The term
"adjoining edges" refers to these edges of strips adjoining,
adjacent to or in contact with each other.
- [0027] The term "communication", as used
in the present description and in the claims, should be considered as
referring to the behaviour of a fluid, for which two points (or areas)
are communicating if a fluid, particularly the process fluid, can flow
from one to the other. The term "original", as used hereafter
with reference to the elements of equipment such as weldings, lining,
weep-holes, etc., identifies those elements already present in the equipment
before the application of the method of the present invention.
- [0028] The equipment to which the method of the
present invention is applicable can be any known pressure equipment in
contact with potentially corrosive fluids during operation. This
equipment normally comprises a steel pressure-resistant body capable of
resisting even very high operating pressures (up to 1000 bars and over,
preferably between 100 and 500 bars), but subject to corrosion if placed
directly in contact with process fluids. This, depending on project
requirements, can have several layers or a single wall, possibly
subjected to annealing. In the internal chamber, in contact with the
process fluid there is a lining in a corrosion-resistant material, which
is usually a metal selected from stainless steel, special
austenitic-ferritic steels, lead, titanium, zirconium, vanadium,
tantalium or one of their alloys. The lining can be welded to the
pressure-resistant body, or, in many cases, just fitted onto it. The
lining is produced, according to the known art, by welding plates (or
ferrules) of the metal selected to each other, until the internal
surface of the pressure-resistant body is completely covered, as well as
the parts inside the outlets and man-hole which normally form part of
the equipment. The weldings of the lining are normally fitted onto
strips of the same material as the lining, preferably inserted into a
groove mechanically applied to the pressure-resistant body. As
previously mentioned, there are numerous weep-holes in the
pressure-resistant body, for the purpose of controlling possible losses
of lining during operation. A detail of the arrangement of the elements
in equipment of the type specified above is schematically represented in
figure 1 enclosed, relating to a section comprising a welding of the
lining and a weep-hole.
- [0029] According to the method of the present
invention, in step (a) at least a part of the existing weep-holes are
extended towards the lining, by drilling or any other known technique,
until it reaches the internal surface. Each weep-hole comprises an
internal lining of anti-corrosive material, which is also extended and
welded onto the edges around the outlet thus produced. Each outlet thus
forms an opening in the lining, preferably having a diameter of between
5 and 30 mm. It is not necessary to extend all the existing weep-holes,
but only a sufficient number to guarantee easy communication with all
the interstitial areas (or meati) produced in the subsequent steps of
the present method. The number of weep-holes actually extended can be
evaluated by the expert in the field, and is normally between 70 and
100% of those existing, depending on the dimensions and geometry of the
equipment and the surface density of the holes themselves.
- [0030] The application, during the embodiment of
the method, of one or more weep-holes in addition to those already
existing is not, however, excluded from the scope of the present
invention, especially when particular geometries and arrangements of the
elements make it necessary (for example near the outlets, provided the
number is limited, normally less than 30%, preferably less than 10% than
the original ones.
- [0031] In step (b) of the method of the present
invention, the weldings of the lining are covered by suitably shaped
strips (or plates), resistant to corrosion under the operating
conditions of the equipment. In most cases and particularly in plants
for the production of urea, the chemical equipment has cylindrical, or
curved sections. The above strips should therefore be appropriately
curved or shaped to adapt themselves to the surface to be covered.
However as they are easily deformed, the suitable curvature can be
obtained with normal instruments available to experts in the field.
- [0032] The strips are arranged adjacently one
after the other on all the weldings so as to form, after application, a
regular surface without gaps. It is preferable to use strips having a
width of between 50 and 300 mm, and a length varying from a few
centimetres to several metres, depending on the requirements. The length
and shape of the strips however are preferably selected to as allow easy
access inside the equipment through the man-hole. Strip thicknesses of
between 2 and 30 mm are preferably used, selected on the basis of the
potential corrosive and/or erosive action of the process fluid.
- [0033] Two adjoining strips can be arranged in
various ways according to the present invention, provided this allows: a
hermetic welding system of the edges of the strips, which isolates the
underlying weldings of the lining from the process fluid during normal
operation (according to step (d) below), and suitable communication for
the flow of a fluid between the interstitial areas present under each of
the two adjoining strips. The strips will normally be consecutive, i.e.
joined one after another by the transversal edges, or strips
perpendicular to each other, in which a transversal edge is joined to a
longitudinal edge (parallel to the covered welding). In the junctions
between two adjoining strips, different measures can be carried out, all
included in the scope of the present invention. It is possible, for
example, to put a short part of the edge of one of the strips over the
edge of the other, giving the former an "S" shape. Or the two
adjoining edges can be placed next to each other; or again, a metal
plate can be placed under two adjoining edges adjacent in the junction
area, possibly forming a cavity in the underlying lining (and welding),
suitable for containing a plate, to improve the support of these
adjoining edges.
- [0034] According to the present invention, the
covering strips consist of the same metal as the original lining, or a
metal or alloy weldable thereto. This can be selected each time from
materials known to be corrosion-resistant under the operating conditions
of the equipment. This metal or metal alloy is preferably selected from
titanium, zirconium, or their alloys, or particularly, from stainless
steels such as, for example, AISI 316L steel (urea grade), INOX 25/22/2
Cr/Ni/Mo steel, special austenitic-ferritic steels, etc. The selection
of a metal which has a higher resistance to corrosion (however measured)
than that of the original lining is left to the expert in the field.
- [0035] The covering strips of the weldings can be
fixed, before being welded in turn, with the normal methods available to
experts in field, provided these are compatible with the operating
conditions of the equipment. Mechanical fixings or welding points can
normally be used.
- [0036] Before covering the weldings of the lining
according to step (b), it is preferable, according to the present
invention, to mechanically treat the surfaces of the weldings and lining
on which the above strips are to be placed, for example by grinding, to clean
them and make them more uniform and without defects.
- [0037] Step (c) of the present method is basically
carried out analogously to step (b) above, with the difference that each
strip (or plate) is not intended in this case to cover a welding of the
lining, but is positioned on the surface of the lining, adjacent to at
least one of the covering strips placed in accordance with step (b), and
in the direction of at least one of the weep-holes, until the outlet on
the surface of the lining itself is completely covered. In this way, by
welding the edges according to the subsequent step (d), interstitial
areas are formed communicating with this outlet and, directly or
indirectly, with at least some of the interstitial areas formed near the
original weldings of the lining. According to the method of the present
invention, all the outlets of the weep-holes are covered with strips as
described above, forming, by means of the underlying interstitial areas
(or meati), obtained after the welding of step (d), intercommunicating
passages from each point of the original weldings of the lining to at
least one outlet of a weep-hole.
- [0038] If one or more of the weep-hole outlets is
applied through one of the original weldings of the lining, it is up to
the operator to cover the outlet with the same strips used for covering
the weldings, obviously without using any further strip according to
step (c).
- [0039] Also in step (c), it can be advantageous to
carry out the different operations similarly to step (b). In particular,
for example, to grind the supporting area of the strip to clean it and
make it more uniform and without defects.
- [0040] According to a preferred embodiment of the
present method, in steps (b) and (c), a groove is produced in the
surface of the lining or its weldings, underneath the covering strips.
This groove normally has a width of between 5 and 20 mm, a depth of
between 1 and 5 mm, selected on the basis of the thickness of the lining
and the rheological properties of the process fluid. In particular, according
to the present invention, the depth of this groove is preferably less
than 30% of the thickness of the original lining.
- [0041] This groove is preferably applied along all
the original weldings of the lining, and in its surface when there is no
welding, as in the case of the strips arranged in accordance with step
(c). The groove has the function of facilitating the flow of the fluid
coming from a possible loss of the weldings along the edges of the
strips, making the detection of the loss more rapid and secure. The role
of the groove near the junctions between two adjoining strips (or
plates) is particularly advantageous.
- [0042] Step (d) of the method of the present
invention comprises the welding of the edges of the strips (or plates)
shaped and arranged as described in steps (b) and (c). The welding
method is not critical and any of the methods available in the known art
can be used, provided it guarantees the production of
corrosion-resistant weldings and mechanical properties suitable for the operating
conditions of the equipment.
- [0043] The welding is preferably carried out with
arc electrodes or "T.I.G." with wire rods. The longitudinal
edges are welded onto the surface of the underlying lining, and the
adjoining edges of each pair of strips to each other. The latter can at
the same time also be welded to the underlying lining. In this way,
underneath, between the surface of each strip (or plate) and the surface
of the lining near the original welding, there is an interstitial area
(or meatus) suitable for the flow of a fluid during a possible loss.
- [0044] According to the present invention, the
welding of at least a part of the adjoining edges of the stripe is
carried out so that there remains an opening underneath the welding
itself, so as to put the interstitial areas (or meati) in communication
with the possible grooves existing under the strips by each side of the
welding. This opening, or passage, under the welding between adjoining
edges, must be hermetic in every point with respect to the internal
chamber of the equipment, where the process fluid is present during
normal operation.
- [0045] According to the present invention the
appearance and arrangement of these intercommunicating openings are not
critical, provided they comply with the above demands and the
arrangement is such that the openings, as a whole, in the case of a loss
from the weldings of the strip edges, allow the process fluid to flow
from any point of the above interstitial areas (or meati), until it
reaches at least one of the weep-hole outlets. It is not necessary
however for all the interstitial spaces (or areas) to be
intercommunicating, as it is sufficient that there be communication,
directly or indirectly through a sequence of openings and interstitial
areas, with at least one of the weep-hole outlets. It is preferable,
according to the present invention, for only from 50 to 80% of the
weldings between adjoining edges to comprise an underlying
intercommunication opening.
- [0046] Depending on the way in which the adjoining
strips and edges are arranged in steps (b) or (c), there are various
solutions for the practical embodiment of the invention.
- [0047] For example, if the adjoining edges of two
strips have been partially superimposed (as schematically illustrated in
figures 4 and 6 enclosed), it is normally sufficient to weld all the
external edges of the strips themselves to the underlying lining and to
each other. The edge of the underlying strip, in the superimposition
area, remains on the inside and is not therefore welded, preventing the
welding deposit from locally blocking the interstice (or groove) and
thus ensuring the presence of an intercommunication opening.
- [0048] According to another form of embodiment, in
steps (b) and/or (c) (as already mentioned), a flat plate of the same
material as the strips is placed under the junction between two
adjoining strips, preferably in a cavity especially prepared in the
original welding and/or lining, and the adjoining edges of these are
placed over this, adjacent to each other. This kind of arrangement of
the elements corresponds to what is schematically illustrated in figure
3. The flat plate has a width and length which are such as to completely
be completely covered by the strips, and a thickness normally of about
2-4 mm. The edges of the strips are then hermetically welded to each
other (where adjoining) and to the underlying lining. The flat plate
under the adjoining edges prevents a welding deposit from blocking the
underlying interstitial area (or meatus or groove).
- [0049] In a further embodiment, particularly
preferred, two adjoining edges are placed adjacent to each other and
only partly welded, leaving at least a part in the central area of the
junction unwelded. This unwelded part, which forms a communicating
opening between the interstitial spaces under each strip at the sides of
the welding, is preferably between 5 and 30 mm long.
- [0050] The unwelded parts are then covered by
placing metal plates over them, suitable shaped and of the same anti-corrosive
material as the strips and then hermetically welding the edges of these
onto the underlying metal. This operation must be carried out in such a
way as to guarantee the hermetic sealing of the total surface exposed to
the process fluids of the equipment. Flat plates which are suitable for
this embodiment of the present invention have adequate dimensions for
covering the entire length of the interrupted parts and are preferably
square or rectangular. The dimensions are preferably between 20 and 200 mm.
The thickness of the plates is preferably between 4 and 25 mm.
- [0051] This latter embodiment of the present
invention enables an arrangement of the essential elements to be
obtained corresponding to that schematically illustrated in figures 2
and 5.
- [0052] Other forms of embodiment, such as, for
example, those previously described in particular, in the application of
the method to a single piece of equipment, are not excluded however from
the scope of the present invention.
- [0053] In the preferred case in which grooves are
applied before the placing and welding of the strips as described above,
these grooves, passing under the weldings between adjoining edges, form
in themselves excellent communication openings.
- [0054] According to a particular embodiment of the
present invention, steps (a), (b), (c) and (d) can be carried out
contemporaneously, in the sense that each of the above steps can operate
independently in different areas of the equipment. For example, it can
be advantageous, especially in equipment of large dimensions, to carry
out the welding of the edges of the strips according to step (d) in a
certain area in which the original weldings of the lining and weep-hole
outlets have already been covered, whereas covering steps (b) and (c)
are carried out in another area. However, in each part of the equipment
the intervention according to the method of the present invention is
obviously carried out with step (d) subsequent to steps (a), (b) and
(c), and step (c) subsequent to step (a), whereas the operating order
between steps (b) and (c) is not particularly critical.
- [0055] The method of the present invention enables
safety operations to be carried out on existing equipment which is
either new or already operating in a chemical plant. The scope of the
present invention also comprises however the application of this method
during the assembly and construction of new equipment to improve its
duration and safety.
- [0056] One of the advantages of this method is the
possibility of dimensioning the strips and flat plates and suitably
shaping them so that they can be inserted through the single opening of
the man-hole normally existing in each equipment. This can also involve
the use of relatively small plates, sometimes with a length of a few
tens of centimetres, but this does not jeopardize reaching the desired
safety measures as, according to the present invention, no interstitial
area produced under them after weldining, howver small it may be,
remains isolated from at least one weep-hole. At the end of the
intervention of the present method, the protection of the original
weldings of the lining is thus guaranteed together with the rapid and
safe detection of a possible loss during operation, from any point of
the covering strips and weldings thereon and without any nescessity of
applying new weep-holes with respect to the original ones, or in any
case, in particular cases, applying only an insignificant number
compared to the total amount.
- [0057] In addition, the method of the present
invention can be carried out, for the same reasons mentioned above,
without removing any part of the equipment and without removing this
from the operating site. The application and completion of the method
are normally possible in fact within a week and can be carried out
during a normal stoppage of the plant (also called shutdown) for its
control.
- [0058] The applicative characteristics of the
method of the present invention are better illustrated by referring to
the drawings and diagrams shown in the enclosed figures, wherein:
figure 1
schematically
represents a sectional view of a wall of conventional equipment in contact
with corrosive process fluids, for example a reactor for the synthesis of
urea;
figure 2
schematically
represents a front view of a part (internal side) of the longitudinal section
of equipment to which the safety method of the present invention has been
applied;
figure 3
schematically
represents a detail (front view and longitudinal and transversal sections) of
a part of the lining welding, after positioning the covering plate of the
present invention, comprising a junction and welding between two adjacent
parts of the flat plate;
figure 4
schematically
represents a detail (front view and longitudinal and transversal sections)
analogous to that of figure 3, wherein the junction between two parts of flat
plate is according to a second embodiment of the present invention;
figure 5
schematically
represents a detail (front view and section) of a piece of lining welding,
after the safety intervention of the present invention, comprising the
derivation point and junction with a weep-hole;
figure 6
schematically
represents a detail (front view and section) analogous to that of figure 5,
wherein the derivation and junction with the weep-hole are in accordance with
a different embodiment of the present invention.
- [0059] In the figures, corresponding parts have,
for the sake of simplicity, identical reference numbers. In addition the
different elements are not represented in scale with each other to
provide a better illustration of the distinctive characteristics of the
present invention. The different figures enclosed are illustrative of
the present invention but do not limit its scope in any way.
- [0060] The section represented in figure 1 shows
the pressure-resistant body 1, normally made of common carbon
steel, and the original lining 4 of the reactor, made of a
corrosion-resistant material, which has a welding line 3,
overlapping a flat plate or strip 7 of the same material as the
lining, to avoid the welding itself being in direct contact with the
steel of the pressure-resistant body. In contact with the surface
beneath the lining is the weep-hole 2, comprising an internal
lining 8, which communicates with the interstitial area created
between the lining itself and the pressure-resistant body, represented
by the line 5. A possible loss from the welding 3 follows
the direction 6 indicated by the dashed line.
- [0061] Figure 2 shows again the pressure-resistant
body 1, the original lining of the reactor 4 and the
weldings 3 with the underlying flat plates 7. The
communication grooves 9 and 11 are also schematically
represented, applied respectively on the weldings of the pre-existing
lining and along the communication lines with the existing weep-holes 2
extended through the lining itself. Above the grooves are the covering
strips 10, welded in turn by the edges to the underlying lining,
and extending as far as the weep-holes. In the parts 13 where two
adjoining strips meet and are welded, are the flat plates 12
welded above the former strips, hermetically covering the non-welded
parts 17, forming the communication openings between the grooves.
It is also possible to see the junction 20 between two adjoining
strips, completely welded and without a communication opening, which was
not necessary as both the sides of the welding already communicated with
at least one weep-hole.
- [0062] Figure 3 shows the front view (A) and
longitudinal (B) and transveral (C) sectional views respectively along
the lines Z1 and Z2. The elements corresponding to those already
indicated in figure 2 have the same reference numbers. The welding
detail 13 between two covering strips 10, which are
adjoining, shows the groove 9 and the flat plate 14
underneath the welding 13, which is of the same material as the
lining or of a different material provided this is corrosion-resistant
and weldable to the lining. The function of the flat plate 14 is
to prevent, at the moment of welding 13, the groove 9 from
being filled with the welding deposit and the communication between the
interstices beneath the two adjoining strips from being interrupted. To
facilitate vision, the flat plate 7 beneath the welding 3
is not indicated in view (A).
- [0063] Figure 4 shows a front view (A) and longitudinal
(B) and transversal (C) sectional views respectively along lines Z3 and
Z4. The elements corresponding to those already indicated in figure 2
have the same reference number. The detail of the superimposition area 15
between two adjoining covering strips 10' and 10'', shows
the underlying groove 9, which makes the interstitial spaces or
meati existing between these strips and the lining 4
intercommunicating. The weldings around the superimposition area make
the interstitial spaces and the groove hermetic with respect to the
process fluids. This arrangement prevents the transversal welding 16
in particular, applied between superimposed strips 10' and 10''
from blocking the groove 9. Also in this case, as in figure 3,
the flat plate 7 beneath the welding 3 is not shown in
view (A).
- [0064] Figure 5 schematically represents a front
view (A) and a secton (B), along the line Z5, of an embodiment of the
junction between two perpendicular adjoining strips, one of which is
positioned to cover one of the weep-hole outlets. In particular strip 10
can be distinguished, which covers a groove 9 applied on a
welding 3 of the lining 4. Near the weep-hole 2,
there is a groove 11, in the lining, which joins 9. The
flat plate 10''' welded by the edges to the underlying lining and
welded to strip 10 along the joining line 13, is
superimposed on the flat plate 10'''. In the central area of the
joining line 13 there is an unwelded part 17 to ensure
communication between the underlying grooves 9 and 11.
This part 17 is in turn covered by the flat plate 12 whose
edges are welded to the underlying strips 10 and 10''' to
ensure hermetic sealing towards the process fluid.
- [0065] Figure 6 schematically represents a front
view (A) and a section (B) along the line Z6 of a detail analogous to
that of the previous figure 5, but in which the communication passage
between grooves and interstitial spaces is different and in some aspects
is analogous to the solution described in figure 4, which is however
included in the scope of the present invention. In particular strip 10
can be distinguished, which covers a groove 9 applied on a
welding 3 of the lining 4. Near the weep-hole 2, is
groove 11, in the lining, which joins 9. The flat plate 10'''
is superimposed on the groove 11, which is welded by the edges to
the underlying lining, and superimposed on strip 10 starting from
the joining line 13. The detail of the superimposition area 18
between the two covering strips 10 and 10''' shows that
the underlying groove 11 is never in contact with weldings,
particularly with welding 19, thus avoiding any possibility of
blockage during the weldings, which are necessary for ensuring the
hermetic sealing of the system towards the process fluid.
- [0066] A further object of the present invention
relates to pressure equipment with an improved degree of safety, which
can be obtained with the method previously described, comprising an
internal chamber suitable for containing process fluid, surrounded by a
pressureresistant body equipped with weep-holes, made of a material
subject to corrosion by contact with said process fluid during
operation, lined, internally, with an anti-corrosive lining consisting
of several elements joined to each other by weldings, wherein, in said
equipment, at least a part of the weep-holes is extended towards said
lining until it reaches the internal chamber, and wherein said weldings
of the lining and weep-hole outlets are completely covered with
adjoining strips (or flat plates), of the same material as said lining or
other corrosion-resistant material weldable thereto, which are
seal-welded on the edges to said lining and to each other to avoid
contact of said lining weldings and outlets with the process fluid
during normal operation, and they form, in the underlying area,
interstitial areas (or meati) which are hermetic with respect to the
internal chamber, characterized in that the arrangement and weldings
between the edges of at least a part of the adjoining strips, are
effected so that, beneath each of the weldings between the adjoining
edges, there is an opening between the existing interstitial areas (or
meati) on each side of the welding, these openings being hermetic with
respect to the internal chamber and in such a quantity and so arranged
as to put each interstitial area (or meatus), or part of it, in
communication with at least one of the weep-hole outlets.
- [0067] Particular embodiments of the above
equipment, which do not limit the scope of the present invention,
comprise the particular arrangements of elements schematically shown in
figures 2 to 6 described above.
- [0068] Following the above description of the
present invention in its general characteristics and details, a
practical applicative example is provided which should not be
considered, however, as limiting the scope of the invention itself.
EXAMPLE
- [0069] An intervention was carried out according
to the method of the present invention, by isolation from the process
fluid and application of a safety process of the weldings of the lining
of a reactor of a plant for the production of 400 tons/day of urea.
- [0070] This reactor operated at 160 bars and
190°C, with a reaction mixture comprising, under steady operating
conditions, NH3, CO2, urea, water and air as
passivating agent. The reactor basically comprised a vertical Vessel
consisting of a cylindrical pressure-resistant body with a single wall
(annealed, with a thickness of about 65 mm), having an internal diameter
of 1.4 m and a length of 24 m, equipped with two forged hemispherical
caps, of about the same thickness, placed at the upper and lower ends.
On the upper end there was a circular man-hole, with a diameter of about
500 mm. The internal anticorrosive lining was made of ASIS 316L steel,
urea grade, and consisted, in the central area of the reactor, of
semicylindrical elements welded to each other, having average dimensions
of 2.2X5.0 m and a thickness of about 10 mm. Near the outlets, caps and
man-hole, the lining consisted of elements of smaller dimensions and
with a more complex geometry. The surface expansion of the internal
chamber of the reactor was about 110 m2. In the
pressure-resistance body there were a total of 20 weep-holes, each
having a diameter of 20 mm, at an appropriate distance from each other.
Figure 1, described above, schematically represents a detail of the
arrangement of the elements of this reactor, around a weep-hole near a
welding of anticorrosive lining.
- [0071] After testing the wholeness of the
pressure-resistant body and ensuring that the weldings of the lining had
no defects or losses, 15 of the existing weep-holes were extended
through the lining until they reached the surface of the internal
chamber, making sure the edges of each hale applied were welded to the
lining itself, to avoid, in the case of a loss, infiltrations of the
process fluid corroding the steel of the pressure-resistant body.
- [0072] The supporting surface of the covering
strips (or flat plates were then prepared by grinding both sides of the
weldings of the lining. The same operation was carried out along the
joining lines, previously marked on the surface of the lining, between
the weep-hole outlets and at least one of the bordering weldings.
- [0073] Intercommunicating grooves having a depth
of about 1-1.5 mm, were then applied on the weldings, comprising those
in the caps and around the outlets and man-hole, as well as on the
joining lines as far as the weep-hole outlets. They were subsequently
covered with plates made of 25/22/2Cr/Ni/Mo steel, having a width of
about 100 mm and a thickness of 5 mm, adequately preformed and adapted
by pressure to the shape of the existing lining. The covering flat
plates, most of which had a length of between 1 and 3 m, were
contiguously arranged so as to completely cover all the grooves applied
on the surface of the lining and the weep-hole outlets. To do this, the
adjoining edges were adjacently arranged in contact with each other but
without superimposing them. The edges of the flat plates were then
seal-welded by electric arc to the underlying lining and to each other
if adjoining, making sure, during the welding of the adjoining edges to
each other, that an unwelded part having a length of about 20 mm was
left, in the central area, in approximate correspondence with the
underlying groove.
- [0074] Some of the adjoining edges, however, were
completely welded to each other and to the underlying lining, when no
communication between the underlying grooves was necessary as each one
already individually communicated with at least one weep-hole. This
method of procedure, although optional, enables the network of grooves
applied to the lining to be divided into a limited number of areas
isolated from each other (in the example, 4-5 areas), each communicating
with 2-4 weep-holes.
- [0075] A plate of the same material as the flat
plates, square-shaped and with a side of about 40-50 mm, was then placed
on top of each of these unwelded parts to cover it completely. The
thickness was about 5 mm. The edges of each plate were then seal-welded,
onto the underlying adjoining plates.
- [0076] At the end of the intervention, each of the
grooves beneath the covering flat plates generally communicated with two
or three weep-holes, without there being any necessity of applying any
further weep-holes, with respect to those originally existing in the
pressure-resistant body. The inside of the reactor thus modified
(central area) corresponds to the diagram represented in figure 2, which
indicates in particular the flat plates 10 placed over the
grooves 9 and 11 applied respectively on the weldings 3
of the lining 4 and on the lining itself to allow communication
with the weep-hole outlets 2. The adjacent edges of each pair of
adjoining flat plates are only partially welded to each other along the
joining lines 13, whereas the central part 17 is not
welded and is covered, hermetically, by the plates 12. The edges 20,
of a pair of adjoining flat plates, perpendicular to each other, are on
the other hand completely welded to each other, without any
communication between the grooves underneath each flat plate, as these
are already communicating with at least one weep-hole.
- [0077] Figure 5 schematically shows a significant
detail of the appearance of the reactor obtained according to the
present invention, in the embodiment illustrated, relating to the
assembly of the various elements in the communication area between a
groove 9 applied on a welding 3 and the weep-hole 2,
through the groove 11. In particular it is possible to see the
partial welding of the adjoining plates 10 and 10''', and
the interrupting part 17, covered by the plate 12.
- [0078] At the end of the intervention the reactor
was subjected to the usual tests to ensure it functioning. In particular
the following tests were carried out:
- Control of the welding with penetrating liquids
according to "ASME VIII, div. 1, appendix 8";
- Gas seal test according to "ASME V, article
10", carried out with helium;
- Pressure seal test, carried out by bringing the
internal pressure of the reactor to the value specified by the project
specifications (200 bars).
All of the above tests gave satisfactory results.
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