Research of formation of deposits in technological devices and corrosion of contact devices from stainless steel

The paper shows that for majority of technological plants used to process hydrocarbon raw materials when operating a problem of formation of deposits in still-head pipes after the rectifying and stabilization columns, furnaces and other technology devices in oil processing is still of great importance. The structure of still-head deposits of furnace coils and rectifying columns has been studied by the example of small technological plant (STP) of JSC Kondensat (Aksay, the Republic of Kazakhstan). It was determined that key components of these deposits are sulfides of iron and copper as well as elementary sulfur. It is shown that the surface of contact devices of STP – grids made of stainless steel of brand 12X18H10T, is substantially subject to corrosion. These samples are the structures which are still keeping geometry of initial grids, but lost their functional properties and characteristics. When mechanical influence is applied such samples easily transform into gray high-disperse powder. During operation period of STP various corrosion inhibitors and deemulgators (for example, TAL-25-13-R) have been tested. At the same time practically all tested brands of corrosion inhibitors couldn't decrease corrosion of stainless steel and formation of firm deposits in still-head pipes of technological devices. The existing corrosion inhibitors create protection on the boundary of phases metallic surface – liquid, but they aren't efficient on the boundary of phases metallic surface – liquid – steam-gas phase (at the temperature of 150–250о C). The authors propose the mechanism of formation of these compounds based on result of corrosion of metal gauzes made of stainless steels brand X6CrNiTi18-10 in the presence of sulphurous compounds. An active method of corrosion prevention is recommended to apply. The method is based on creation of nanodimensional anticorrosion coatings from binary compounds (such as titanium nitride) or pure metals (Ni, Cr, Ti, Cd, Zn, etc.). These metals don't reduce initial high parameters of grids by heat conductivity and heat capacity, that makes possible to increase significantly life cycle of contact devices and, as a result, to improve considerably operational and economic indicators of operating technological plants used to process oil raw materials.