A methodology for quantifying the contamination after abrasive blasting by Aluminum Oxide and Martensitic Carbon Steel particles in Super Duplex and Carbon Steel substrates has been developed. The method consisted of performing x-ray diffraction in the blasted steel substrates and calculating the particle contamination using Rietveld Quantitative Method. In this way, it is possible to evaluate the substrate volume in which the abrasive particles have been trapped (taking into account the surface roughness) rather than solely performing visual examination, as indicated by standards documents. Equations describing the intensity model of the diffracted peaks as well as those describing the quantitative measurements are presented. Correction functions are also employed to compensate the effect of the surface roughness generated on the metallic substrates after blasting. Alumina and martensitic steel abrasives contaminations were detected and quantified in both steel substrates. Results showed that Super Duplex Steel substrates revealed a higher degree of contamination when compared to the Carbon Steel substrates, both for alumina abrasives as for martensitic abrasives. Also, the abrasive that generated the lower degree of contamination was the Martensitic Carbon Steel, for both substrates.

Sources that can lead to deterioration of steam superheater tubes of a high pressure boiler were studied by a stress analysis, focused on internal pressure and temperature experienced by the material at real operating conditions. Loss of flame control, internal deposits and unexpected peak charge are factors that generate loads above the design limit of tube materials, which can be subjected to strain, buckling, cracks and finally rupture in service. To evaluate integrity and dependability of these components, the microstructure of selected samples along the superheater was studied by optical microscopy. Associated with this analysis, dimensional inspection, nondestructive testing, hardness measurement and deposit examination were made to determine the resultant material condition after twenty three years of operation.

The application of thermal spray coatings has been effective in preventing corrosion of steel and iron products. It has been used in a wide range of applications spreading from the petroleum to the food industry. In this work, the performance and effectiveness of a two-layered aluminum-based thermal spray coating applied to an ASTM A387 G11 steel was evaluated. The coating structure was comprised of an inner Al-Fe-Cr layer and an outer layer of aluminum. Coated samples were tested in the reactor zone of a fluid catalytic cracking unit (FCCU) of a petrochemical plant for 2.5 years. The reactor zone temperature was about 793 K (520 °C) and the environment was a mixed gas containing sulfur, oxygen and carbon. Laboratory-scale tests were also conducted on the coated samples in order to gain a better understanding of the corrosive effect of the gaseous species present in the FCCU atmosphere. Porosity present in the thermal spray coatings allowed the penetration of the atmosphere corrodents, which instigated intergranular corrosion of the steel substrate. The presence of an inner Al-Fe-Cr layer did not prevent coating spallation, which further contributed to the internal corrosion process.