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Keywords: Gas leak • Internal bolting • Offshore OIL & GAS

Failed austenitic SS bolts

in valves
In recent years, we have experienced a number of cases with valves
in offshore environments, in which the internal bolting in austenitic
stainless steel failed after some time in the environment. Typically,
it has proven to be valves operating in temperatures of 50–60˚C or
more, and the failure mechanism was chloride-induced stress corrosion
cracking in the austenitic bolts.
Not least for valves in hydrocarbon service, such bolt failures may result
in a major loss of containment with extensive gas leaks possessing a
high risk potential of ignition resulting in fire or explosion.

Figure 2: Norwegian case from 2012.

By Kristian Lund Jepsen and Per Grumsen, Ramboll Oil & Gas, Esbjerg, Denmark
The phenomenon has been seen in both
the Middle East (Persian Gulf) and in the
Danish and Norwegian North Sea.
In one case, offshore Qatar (reported in
2008), a two-piece 2” ball valve on a fuel
gas skid, in which all four internal bolts
keeping the two parts together failed.
The failure resulted in the release of
almost 500 kg (= 500 m3 at atmospheric
pressure) of natural gas during a 3 minute
release. Fortunately no ignition of the gas
took place. The bolts were in 304 SS.
In that case, the owner identified a
high number of equivalent valves in
equivalent service conditions. The valves
were prioritised in 3 groups (1, 2 and 3)
depending on the risk potential. All valves
in group 1 (the ones with the highest risk
rating) were replaced within months after
the incident. The new valves were with
bolts in super duplex stainless steel.
A rather similar event was reported from
a platform in the Norwegian North Sea
in September 2012. A two-piece ball
valve with austenitic stainless steel bolts
failed as the bolts broke. The failed valve
was operating at service temperatures
exceeding 60˚C and had bolts in 316 SS.
In the Norwegian case, further 17
similar valves in equivalent services were
identified in the same plant before any
incident took place.
The case from the Danish North Sea
turned up as an 8” super duplex stainless
steel process valve failure (valve for
produced water, temperature approx.
70°C), which – fortunately - occurred
during a standard leak test.
The valve was equipped with AISI 316
austenitic stainless steel bolts (A4-bolts).
The valve started to leak due to opening
of the top part between body and flange
before full test pressure was reached –
see Figure 4.
The valve was then sent onshore for
repair.
During disassembling the valve onshore,
it was observed that the upper five stud
bolts had fractured already before the
pressure test, and that one bolt had partly
cracked too. This bolt fractured totally
during the pressure test, which caused
opening of the valve housing – and with
that the leak – see Figure 4.
A metallurgical examination of a cross-
section through one of the fractured
AISI 316 stud bolts suggested that the
root cause of the fractures was chloride-
induced stress corrosion cracking – see
Figure 5.
Based on this result of the examination, a
warning was sent out, and an inspection
of the pipe system for the presence of
possible other valves of the same type
was initiated.
Several other valves of the same type,
which had suffered the same type of
bolt cracking/fracture, were detected
during this inspection, and immediate
replacement of these valves was carried

opened assembly

Loose AISI 316

stud bolts

Figure 1: Norwegian case from 2012. Bolts were

in 316 SS. Figure 3: The valve in opened condition – immediately after pressure testing.

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OIL & GAS

Five bolts already fractured

One partly cracked bolt fractured during the test

Figure 4: Failed valve with six fractured stud bolts in the upper part – after disassembly.

out in order to reduce the risk of
catastrophic leaks occurring during normal
service.
New valves and repaired valves are
equipped with super duplex stainless steel
bolts.
Chloride-induced stress
corrosion cracking (SCC)
Chloride-induced stress corrosion cracking
is a type of environmental cracking caused
by the simultaneous action of a corrosive
agent (aqueous chlorides) and sustained
tensile stress in the material.
This actual type of cracking primarily
occurs in austenitic stainless steels, if the
following criteria are fulfilled:
• High tensile stress level
• High temperature
• High chloride concentration
A high tensile stress level in a material
is e.g. present as the result of the
manufacturing process (rolling, cold-
forming, welding, tightening of bolts etc.),
which results in a high static stress level in
the stainless steel material.
In the actual cases, primarily the tightening
of the bolts has resulted in a high tensile
stress level in the bolt material.
A high temperature (in practice approx.
50-60°C may be sufficient for standard
austenitic stainless steel) most often
originates from a medium present inside
pipes and vessels etc. – however,
especially at locations, where a warm
climate is present (sub-tropical or
tropical), the temperature of external
surfaces may reach heights, in which
austenitic stainless steel suffers from
chloride-induced stress corrosion cracking,
if the other parameters necessary are
present too.
In the actual cases from Norway and
Denmark, the temperature of the medium
inside the valves during normal service
is reported to be sufficiently above the
“lower level”, at which this cracking
mechanism may occur.
The conditions, under which SCC (stress
corrosion cracking) may take place due to
chlorides, are shown in Figure 6 below.
Chlorides may be present in various
types of mediums transported in process
plants – however, common to the valve
failures described above is that chlorides
necessary for the actual failure type have
been added from the surroundings – thus
resulting in the chlorides coming into
contact with external surfaces of valves
and piping.

Fractured stud bolt Fracture surface

Figure5: Fractured stud bolt and micro-photo of cross-section through fractured surface. Note the comprehensive cracking of the bolt material up to the fracture
surface. The crack image to the right (trans-granular cracks) suggests the cracking mechanism to be chloride-induced stress corrosion cracking. Red-colouring of
the bolt threads due to corrosion is seen.

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 OIL & GAS

Figure 6: Conditions under which SCC may be experienced. It is seen

for the austenitic stainless steels (304/304L and 316/316L), that the
conditions may be present from about 50˚C service temperatures, if high
chloride concentrations are present (courtesy of Sandvik). Figure 7: Transgranular stress corrosion cracking.

Especially in marine environments, this may
be a problem, which must be taken into
consideration, when selecting materials.
Also at indoor installations, chlorides
may be added to stainless steel external
surfaces – e.g. during deluge tests carried
out using seawater or from dripping water
from leaking pipe systems etc.
Adding water to heated surfaces will result
in evaporation of the water - to a certain
extent – resulting in increased risk of high
chloride concentration on the surfaces in
question.
During the years, several failures in
stainless steel items caused by chloride-
induced stress corrosion cracking have
been reported. The cracking has been
caused by evaporation of water containing
only small – and often insignificant -
amounts of chlorides on heated surfaces.
Thus evaporation of such water added
continuously to warm surfaces may over
time lead to the accumulation of chlorides -
finally resulting in a chloride level, which
makes stress corrosion cracking possible –
even despite a “harmless environment”.
Recommendations
It is strongly recommended that operators
of offshore oil/gas installations investigate,
if they have valves with austenitic stainless
steel bolts in service conditions with
temperatures above 50˚C on their
installations and replace such valves or at
least the bolts. For stainless steel valves,
super duplex stainless steel bolts are often
a good alternative.
It is also recommended to change
piping and valve specifications to avoid
purchasing valves with austenitic stainless
steel bolts in the future.
It may even be required to introduce
checks of received new valves into stock
to ensure that the specified bolting
material has been implemented. Some
of the cases above are cases, in which
austenitic bolting had not been specified
in the purchase specifications.

About the author

Kristian Lund Jepsen is Senior Chief Consultant at Ramboll Oil & Gas in Esbjerg, Denmark. Mr. Jepsen holds
an M.Sc. in mechanical engineering from the Technical University of Denmark, Copenhagen, from 1981. He
has been with Ramboll Oil & Gas for about 18 years. Mr. Jepsen is a technical expert within the oil and gas
production and processing areas, with special focus on mechanical equipment and systems including valves.
Earlier in his career, he has held positions in large energy companies such as Maersk Oil and Halliburton.

Per Grumsen is Senior Chief Consultant at Ramboll Oil & Gas in Esbjerg, Denmark. Mr. Grumsen was
educated as marine engineer in Esbjerg, Denmark in 1980. He has been with Ramboll Oil & Gas as material
expert since 2012 and had formerly a long career (approx. 30 years) at the material department of FORCE
Technology in Esbjerg. Fields of activities have among other things been: Failure investigation and analysis
(corrosion problems, cracks and fractures, breakdown of engines, turbines, valves etc.), metallurgical
examinations, material selection, NDE-methods, corrosion prevention e.g. including specification and
inspection of surface treatments (coatings, paint systems, hot-dip galvanizing etc.).

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