The Sour Water Joint Industry Program (JIP) has led to the development of new data and
insights related to corrosion in H2S-dominated Ammonium bisulfide sour water systems, commonly
found in a number of refinery processes. The JIP, termed as Sour Water Phase I, provided a new
methodology and software prediction tool targeted towards predicting and quantifying corrosion in
hydro-processing units, specifically reactor effluent air cooler (REAC) equipment and associated piping.
Based on comprehensive laboratory data, multiphase flow-modeling and numerical data
interpolation, the Sour Water Corrosion Prediction Software (prediction tool) facilitates corrosion
prediction, failure prevention, optimized material selection and safe operational practice as a basis for
compelling cost saving and improved maintenance planning in refinery operations. This paper evaluates
the efficacy of the JIP-based Prediction System when applied to real plant evaluation situations in a
variety of refinery conditions. The paper also details appropriate methods of utilizing the data and
functionality within the software tool to ensure optimized prediction accuracy. Case studies identifying
pitfalls to avoid while using the software model are also provided along side comparison of predicted
corrosion rates with measured rates from inspection. The case studies and trends presented demonstrate
the importance of rigorous flow modeling and need for accurate characterization of effects of
Ammonium Bisulfide NH4HS concentration and environmental parametric data variables in assessment
of corrosivity of alkaline sour water systems.
Keywords: Reactor effluent air cooler, REAC, sour water corrosion, NH4HS, ammonium bisulfide, H2S,
hydroprocessing, prediction model, refining, materials selection