Stress corrosion cracking

About: Stress corrosion cracking is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 11340 publications have been published within this topic receiving 138157 citations.

Creep of simulated reservoir sands and coupled chemical‐mechanical effects of CO2 injection

Abstract: [1] Geological storage of CO2 in clastic reservoirs and aquifers is expected to have a variety of coupled chemical-mechanical effects. To investigate the effects of CO2 injection on creep phenomena, we performed uniaxial compaction experiments on granular aggregates of quartz and feldspar under both wet and dry control conditions. The experiments were performed in constant stress mode. Grain size, temperature, CO2 partial pressure, and effective stress were varied in order to determine their individual effect. Pore fluid pH was varied by the injection of CO2 and by addition of acidic and alkaline additives. Pore fluid salinity was increased by the addition of NaCl. Wet samples showed instantaneous compaction upon load application, followed by time-dependent creep. From the mechanical data and microstructures, the main compaction mechanism was inferred to be chemically enhanced microcracking in both quartz and feldspar, with subcritical crack growth, i.e., stress corrosion cracking, controlling deformation in the creep stage. The injection of CO2 and the concomitant acidification of the pore fluid inhibited microcracking in both the quartz and feldspar samples in line with known effects of pH on stress corrosion cracking. We infer that the injection of CO2 into quartz- and plagioclase-bearing sandstones will inhibit grain scale microcracking process and that related geomechanical effects, such as reservoir compaction and surface subsidence, will be negligible compared with the poroelastic response.

Thermodynamically modeling the interactions of hydrogen, stress and anodic dissolution at crack-tip during near-neutral pH SCC in pipelines

Abstract: A thermodynamic model was developed to clarify the interactions of hydrogen, stress and anodic dissolution at crack-tip during near-neutral pH stress corrosion cracking in pipelines by comprehensively considering the electrochemical reactions occurring in the pipeline steel in deoxygenated, near-neutral pH solution. By analyzing the change of the free-energy of steel due to the presence of hydrogen and stress, it is demonstrated that a synergism of hydrogen and stress promotes the cracking of steel. The enhanced hydrogen concentration in the stressed steel significantly accelerates the crack growth. An exact expression of the hydrogen concentration factor, i.e., the dependence of anodic dissolution rate of steel at crack-tip on the hydrogen concentration, is essential at the quantitative prediction of the crack growth rate.

Investigation of Stress Corrosion Cracking Susceptibility of Fe-Ni-Cr Alloys in Nuclear Reactor Water Environments

Abstract: Nonstabilized 300 series stainless steels stressed over yield are susceptible to intergranular stress corrosion cracking (SCC) when exposed in the heavily sensitized condition to 288 C (550 F), high purity water containing dissolved oxygen. The effects of stress, oxygen levels, and significant metallurgical parameters on intergranular SCC of AISI Type 304 are being evaluated. Several promising intergranular SCC resistant alternate alloys have been identified through preliminary investigations, e.g., austeno-ferritic duplex and stabilized austenitic stainless steels.