Students from the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia (DTMM FTUI) won the Gold Medalist at the Case Study Competition Indonesia Corrosion Week 2022. The three batches of 2019 students are Irfa Mutiara Faizah, Adhimas Aryasatya H, Adhimas Aryasatya H, and Zhafira Nada El Husna who is a member of the FTUI Hysteresis Team.
Corrosion Virtual Handling Competition is a competition that provides challenges for participants to solve cases and provide innovations on corrosion and failure analysis in the oil and gas industry sector. This competition was held by INDOCOR ITS on July 30 2022 and was attended by various campuses in Indonesia.
The FTUI team resolved a fire case in the oil and gas industry. After being traced, the fire occurred due to a leak in one of the pipes in the fin fan cooler unit which functions as a fluid cooler. The team then compiled an analysis of the case in a presentation entitled “Investigation of Causes of Failure and Optimization of Corrosion Prevention Measures on Fin Fan Cooler Pipes”.
“Broadly speaking, the cause that we found was the deposit of corrosive materials on the internal parts of the pipe, especially around the welding part, such as ammonium bisulfide and ammonium chloride. We first match what data we need. Then, we analyze the seven factors and find the problem hypothesis. From there, we developed innovative solutions to the problem,” said Irfa Mutiara Faizah, head of the Hysteresis Team.
A fin fan cooler is an instrument used to reduce the fluid temperature by transferring heat through air. The failure that occurs is a fluid leak due to the formation of a hole in the pipe. The first case occurred in January 2022 and the second case in February 2022 which had implications for the occurrence of a massive fire.
“Based on visual observations and tests have been carried out to see discoloration, wear evidence, surface roughness, dimensional fit, and defects in the sample. From the results of visual observations found scale buildup, uniform corrosion on the pipe walls, and thinning of the pipe walls. The results of the composition, the test found the formation of deposits around the welding part. Deposits of matter can interfere with the flow of the injected fluid (turbulence). The risk of local corrosion increases if the deposit is a corrosive compound,” said Adhimas Aryasatya, a member of the Hysteresis Team.
These observations and tests concluded that the cause of the fire was several things. First, the fuel is a flammable hydrocarbon fluid. Hydrocarbons containing H₂ compounds will undergo a phase change to gas. The second is the heat source. Sparks are caused by metal friction, there is static electricity due to differences in charge on leaky pipes, and there is a source of electrical energy from lighting sources. Third, a leaky pipe causes the fluid in the pipe to come into direct contact with oxygen in the environment. Fuel in the form of hydrocarbons turns into steam and fills the surrounding environment. Hydrocarbon vapor will experience contact with a heat source and oxygen which can trigger a fire source.
Dean of FTUI, Prof. Dr. Heri Hermansyah, ST., M.Eng., IPU expressed his appreciation for the achievement of the Hysteresis team, “FTUI always supports its students to participate in various competitions both at home and abroad. By implementing the knowledge gained in the classroom to solve real-world problems, students will be able to improve their competencies to prepare for future careers.”
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Bureau of Public Communications
Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia