Corrosion Under Insulation (CUI) in Cold Piping Systems

?? Exciting News Alert! ??

We're thrilled to share a new technical post on our website discussing the critical topic of Corrosion Under Insulation (CUI) in cold piping systems. ?????

In this comprehensive article, we delve into the unique challenges posed by CUI in cold piping, exploring real-world insights and lessons learned from a recent case study. ??

Case Study: Dow's Incident at LHC Plant Before the incident, Dow had a strong process safety performance history, with no multiple fatality incidents since 1981. However, the company experienced line failures due to CUI, primarily in piping systems not meeting previous hazard criteria within their mechanical integrity safety standard. In 2004, Dow updated its mechanical integrity standard to improve inspection quality and accountability.

The Incident: On March 13, 2008, at Dow's LHC plant, an 8-inch carbon steel hydrocarbon line failed catastrophically. The line, serving as a regeneration line to a cracked gas dryer, experienced a small pinhole leak before the catastrophic failure occurred. Fortunately, the force of the failure bent the line in two locations, essentially sealing itself and preventing a major release.

Root Cause Investigation and Lessons Learned: The root cause investigation revealed several factors contributing to the incident, including insufficient previous inspections and the lack of notification or training on the updated mechanical integrity standard. Despite being inspected just weeks before the incident, the inspection organization had not been informed of the new standard.

Check out the full post on our website (below link) and join the conversation on how we can better safeguard our infrastructure against corrosion risks! ????

#CorrosionUnderInsulation #CUI #PipingSystems #Maintenance #EngineeringInsights

Regards,

Mat Integrity Team