Technical guide to hydrogen embrittlement in topside and subsea lifts
Ben Burgess, Director of William Hackett Lifting Products, says: “There is a real concern across industry regarding the impact of HE and SICC on chains and links used in lift and hoist projects across offshore environments.”
“Based on our own experiences of how our products perform offshore, combined with the manufacturing expertise of McKinnon Chain and outcomes of detailed technical analysis by industry partners, we have identified that as material hardness exceeds 39-40 HRC, the risk of HE and SICC increases as the hardness values rise,” says Burgess.
Correct materials selection is critical, especially when it comes to problems such as HE. Operators need to ensure that despite commercial pressures, the products used in the offshore environment are fully appropriate for their intended use, and that the environmental conditions, mechanical stresses and material susceptibility have all been assessed rigorously.
The report looks at key areas around HE including causal factors, best practice methods to reduce risk and recommendations around specific product groups and key performance requirements.
“Managing the risks of HE and SICC requires a change of mindset,” says Burgess. “The advancement towards higher and higher grades of steel should be treated with caution. In an offshore environment, procurement and quality assurance policies should include comprehensive details of the material’s properties, as well as standard compliance. Without the proper understanding of the material and its use offshore, the end result is increased risk to operations,” he added.
The company is taking further steps to help minimise the risks of HE and extend the life-span of master links with the introduction of Zinc-Tough – an innovation that applies a zinc layer to the product which significantly reduces the speed at which corrosion occurs. It extends the product lifespan and also reduces the risk of HE in comparison to other coating processes such as galvanising and electroplating.
William Hackett has delivered more than 550,000 master links. Burgess says, “We are immensely proud of our track record in the supply of HA links to Shell, BP, ExxonMobil, TechnipFMC, Saipem, Subsea 7, Oceaneering and every other major offshore operator. We have not had one suspected case of HE to-date, which reinforces the quality approach we take in how our products are manufactured.”
The report is available here.
