NACE Standard RP0170-1997 Protection of Austenitic Stainless Steels and Other Austenitic Alloys from Polythionic Acid Stress Corrosion Cracking During Shutdown of Refinery Equipment

National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE) International. Houston, Texas. ISBN: 1-57590-039-4. 1997. 7p. If sulfide corrosion products are present on the surfaces of austenitic stainless steel and other austenitic alloy process equipment, there is a definite risk of polythionic acid stress corrosion cracking (SCC) when oxygen (air) and water are admitted during an outage. Tensile stresses, both residual and applied, are usually present in 'cold" equipment. In the presence of polythionic acids, SCC may occur in stressed austenitic stainless steels and other austenitic alloys that are in a sensitized condition.