CORROSION UNDER INSULATION

 Corrosion under insulation (CUI) is a severe form of localized external corrosion that
occurs in carbon and low alloy steel equipment that has been insulated. This form of
corrosion occurs when water is absorbed by or collected in the insulation. The equipment
begins to corrode as it is exposed to water and oxygen. CUI is common in refineries and
process plants that typically operate equipment at high temperatures.
 Corrosion under insulation (CUI) is one of the (petro) chemical processing industries
worse problems, the cost associated to mitigating it astronomical.
According to the Inspectioneering, A Primer on Corrosion Under Insulation (CUI) primer
report:
“In the simplest terms, CUI is any type of corrosion that occurs due to a moisture
buildup on the external surface of insulated equipment. The buildup can be caused by one
of multiple factors that are detailed below. The corrosion itself is most commonly
galvanic, chloride, acidic, or alkaline corrosion. If undetected, the results of CUI can
lead to the shutdown of a process unit or an entire facility, and in rare cases it may lead
to a process safety incident.”

So, CUI is one of the most difficult processes to prevent. The reason for that is, by and
large, no matter the precautions taken, water invariably seeps into the insulation and
begins its dirty work—sometimes unseen until process leakage occurs. Historical data
shows that about 60% of pipe leaks are caused by CUI.

Temperatures Leading to CUI

It is generally accepted that carbon and low-alloy steels operating between –4ºC (25ºF)
and 149ºC (300ºF) are most at risk from CUI, but aggressive CUI has also been observed
in the 149ºC+ (300ºF+) range. From that perspective, preventing CUI is really a matter of
making sure there’s no water in insulation systems below approximately 177ºC (350ºF),
because the intermittent boiling and flashing that occurs above a metal temperature of
100ºC (212ºF) produces a fairly aggressive CUI environment.
Environmental Conditions Leading to CUI

It’s difficult to predict CUI rates—they can be somewhat general in nature or highly
localized. However, some of the environmental conditions leading to higher CUI rates
are:

Marine environments
Hot or humid environments
Climates with higher rainfall
Steam tracing leaks
Contaminants from the atmosphere or from the insulation (such as chlorides and sulfides)
dissolving in water
Intermittent wet-dry conditions
Systems operating below typical atmospheric dew point (sweating services)
Insulating materials holding moisture
Insulation systems not allowing moisture drainage

CUI Processes

CUI leak discovered on hot service vessel operating at 82°C (180°F), 25 years of service
CUI is a blanket term that refers to several different types of corrosion processes.
According to the well-respected article by V. Mitchell Liss of the National Board of
Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors, the main CUI processes are:

Galvanic

Generally results from wet insulation with an electrolyte or salt, which allows a current to
flow between different metals (e.g., the insulated metal surface and the outer jacket). The
extent and severity of the attack on the less noble metal depends on the difference in
potential between the two metals and their relative areas.
Alkaline / Acidic

Results from moisture and an alkali or acid in certain fibrous or granular insulations.
Where service temperatures exceed 121ºC (250ºF), most of the water evaporates,
condenses at the edge of the insulation, and then dissolves the alkaline or acidic
chemicals there, which results in corroding the jacket.

Chloride

Occurs on 300-series austenitic stainless steel surfaces when the insulation contains
leachable chlorides and moisture at temperatures above 60ºC (140ºF). A concentration of
chloride ions usually results from the evaporation of rain, water used in fighting fires, or
process water.

Prevention and Mitigation of CUI

To prevent unnecessary shutdowns and accidents, the condition of equipment and piping
must be monitored to detect when it should be retired from service. This is achieved in a
number of ways, as it is typically more cost effective to prevent CUI than to repair or
replace damaged equipment. But, equipment at plants is notoriously difficult to reach and
is usually insulated, making it difficult to identify potential problems. Inspection points
are selected according to where experience suggests CUI is likely to cause significant
problems, but that is often not enough.

CUI damage on small, sweating service bore pipe, 5 years of service Preventing CUI

The most effective method of preventing CUI is to (of course!) keep water and
electrolytes from coming into contact with the unprotected metal surface. However, it’s
nearly impossible to guarantee that the insulation or coating will not be breached.
Effective protective coatings and weather barriers can help minimize the potential for
CUI, but effective maintenance practices will also help prevent corrosion damage before
it becomes a severe problem. However, remember that maintenance alone isn’t an
effective solution without a well thought out inspection strategy—none of the above
mitigation practices guarantee the complete prevention of CUI.

Inspecting for CUI

Several inspection methods can help determine the presence of CUI without removing the
insulation. None are foolproof and most don’t offer a good understanding of the
maximum depth of the CUI damage.

Brute force: Involves stripping the insulation off the equipment to have a look. Time-
consuming, fairly expensive work process (especially if the insulation contains asbestos).
Non-destructive testing: Allows assessing the presence of CUI without stripping the
insulation. Includes various flavors of radiography (X-ray), pulsed eddy current (PEC),
and UT thickness measurements from inside equipment.
Other: Neutron backscatter and infrared thermography. Help find moisture under
insulation, which may help find CUI. False calls—wet insulation, no CUI; CUI, dry
insulation that was clearly very wet.

So the blight that is CUI is a complex problem to understand, predict, and mitigate.
Charles Tremblay, our resident PEC expert, discusses NDT methods used in mitigating
CUI, outlining their pro and cons, and comparing them to each other in Corrosion Under
Insulation: The 7 Inspection Methods You Must Know About.