Session: Recent Experiences With Austenitic and Duplex Stainless Steels
Case Studies on Failure of Stainless Steel Sections of Methane Reformer Header in Chemical Industry. (C2026-00152)
Thursday, March 19, 2026
11:30 AM - 12:00 PM Central
Location: 370 EF
Earn .5 PDH
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Iftikhar Muhammad, Ahmad Raza Khan Rana, Yasar Irshad, Nasir Imran
Primary Reformer is critical heat transfer unit in Petrochemical industry. Any kind of failure leads to total plant shut down which has major undesirable financial impact in terms of production loss. This study discusses various failure events of steam leak due to material failure observed in the high-pressure steam header of the Primary Reformer’s convection coil(s). This study focused on root cause of failure through systematic technical analysis which focuses primarily on potential failure mechanism including Stress Relaxation Cracking (SRC), Dissimilar metal weld (DMW) cracking, and presence of fatigue cracks. This study then addresses the material selection criteria applicable to high pressure – high temperature (HTHP) environment as well as highlighting some gaps within ASME Section VIII Div 1 for the design and fabrication of Methane Reformer header sections.
