STRESS CORROSION CRACKING IN FUEL ETHANOL: A NEWLY RECOGNIZED PHENOMENON

ABSTRACT During the past decade, there has been evidence of stress corrosion cracking of steel storage tanks and associated piping used in fuel ethanol service. While SCC has not been wide spread, it has produced failures in some user facilities. No failures have been identified in facilities that produce fuel ethanol. This paper describes a review and survey conducted under an API funded study of this newly recognized phenomenon. It summarizes the basis of SCC in fuel ethanol and related environments and documents service experience. Further, more detailed information and survey results can be found in API publication 939D. It includes over 70 pages, 22 figures, 17 tables, 42 references, a bibliography of 15 related references, and a comprehensive summary table detailing 16 case histories involving ethanol SCC and non-SCC experiences