Failure Mechanisms of SA213-TP304L Stainless Steel Tubes in Steam Generator Applications: A Review

Abstract

Stainless steel (SS) SA213-TP304L is widely used in heat exchanger tubes due to its excellent corrosion resistance, good weldability and reliable performance. However, in real-world refinery operations, unexpected failures have been reported in tubes made from this material. This review discusses findings from past research to better understand how and why these failures occurred before the expected service life which is minimum lifespan of 20 years for SS tube. The main degradation modes identified include Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC), corrosion due to poor Boiler Feed Water (BFW) treatment and damage from thermal stress. Key studies using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX) are summarised to highlight microstructural and elemental insights, while computational simulation methods such as Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) are reviewed for their role in predicting stress and heat transfer behaviour. This review aims to improve understanding of premature failures in refinery heat exchanger systems.