The challenging environment appearing in recent and moreover future deep offshore explorations promoted the development of linepipe steel grades with reliable sour service resistance. Severe sour conditions such as the combination of elevated production temperature, increasing pipeline pressures and high stress loads initiated by modern laying methods or introduced during service are leading to increasing corrosion demands. Steel pipelines used for the transport of media containing wet Hydrogen Sulphide (H2S) are faced with the danger of the cracking phenomena HIC (Hydrogen Induced Cracking) and SSC (Sulphide Stress Cracking). To prove resistance to HIC and SSC, test specimens are typically tested according standardised test methods. The exposure of test specimens in a sour test solution to a H2S pressure of 1 bar for 96 h, as described in NACE TM0284 is used to prove HIC resistance. Commonly four-point bend testing as described in EFC publication no. 16 is performed for SSC resistance testing with the appliance of a specific load, typically 80% of the actual yield strength.
Within this work HIC testing at test conditions representing higher H2S partial pressures (up to 5 bar) and longer test durations (up to 6 months) have been performed on seamless quenched and tempered line pipe steel of grade X65 and X70 produced by VALLOUREC & MANNESMANN TUBES by plug and continuous mandrel mill process. Beside material in as delivered condition also pre-strained material was tested. SSC four-point bend testing has been performed on specimens which were strained up to 10% of plastic strain in longitudinal direction.