TCM report; Corrosion and materials

Large material costs

It is not easy to think of all the possible scenarios. For what could happen in a CO₂ capture plant. At TCM it has been experienced that capture chemicals, byproducts and CO₂ can degrade materials used in the plant. And if you don’t take this into account. It can be very expensive.

TCM’s extensive experience in capture testing with real capture solvents and flue gasses has enhanced understanding of corrosion and material selection. Use of corrosion coupons at several locations throughout the TCM amine plant allows many materials to be tested simultaneously across a range of process conditions.

Through more than 10 years of operation. TCM have seen in various test campaigns that the plant reacts differently. And therefore it can be cost saving to talk to us at TCM if you are planning a capture plant for CO₂. – We are happy to share our experiences with handling CO₂ in a capture plant, adds our managing director Ismail Shah.

Three reports have been published under corrosion and materials

• Assessment of Erosion-Corrosion as Possible Failure Mechanism of Reboiler at Technology Center Mongstad (2022)
• Assessment of Material Selection for the CO₂ Absorption Process with Aqueous MEA Solution based on Results from Corrosion Monitoring at Technology Center Mongstad (2019)
• Results from MEA amine plant corrosion processes at the CO₂ Technology Center Mongstad (2016)

What can happen?

During a test campaign here at TCM using monoethanolamine (MEA). A failure occurred in the reboiler of the amine plant which was caused by a serious damage to the plate heat exchanger (made of AISI 316L stainless steel). The result was a significant loss of material (approx. 200-250 µm reduction in thickness). As well as a leak between the solvent and the heat exchanger. A detailed investigation including laboratory studies on the effect of chemical additives is summarized in the 2022 publication.

TCM learned that during a test period. Critical things can occur at the plant that can have consequences both for the catching process itself and the surroundings. This shows that it is appropriate to test things on a slightly smaller scale before building a full-scale CCS plant as material selection has a large effect on the risk and cost profile.

From corrosion coupon testing  during an  MEA campaign from 2015, TCM experienced, among other things:

• The corrosion rate for carbon steel, S235, is calculated to be greater than or equal to 1.4 mm/year.
• The corrosion rate was well below 0.1 mm/year for alloy 304L, 316L and 22 Cr duplex stainless steel.

Further work on the corrosion topic with the non-proprietary CESAR1 solvent is planned to be published in 2024, with the latest updates available via this website and our social media.