**This course will be available for 30 days upon registration. If you require more time, please email us at training@becht.com.

Course Summary

This course focuses on practical experiences with particular damage mechanisms relevant to the major units of an operating refinery. The course is taught by a refining industry Subject Matter Expert as well as a former Chief Inspector with over 40 years of industry experience.

Complete the seminar portion of this training at your own pace with a pre-recorded training video available anytime, anywhere, from the comfort of your web browser. A live Q&A with the instructor will be conducted at a convenient time for all participants.

Course Outline:

Damage Mechanisms Course Outline Introduction, goals, outcomes

Introduction to Metallurgy and properties, heat treatment

Introduction to NOE/inspection

Crude/Vac Unit Overview

• Desalter and crude ovhd corrosion, incl. vac tower organic acid issues
• Sulfidation (Organic) and Naphthenic Acid corrosion
• Ammonium Cl and HCI Corrosion
• Permanently installed corrosion probes

Naphtha HT and Cat Reformer Overview

• HTHA
• Heater tube oxidation and creep

Diesel HT/Hydrocracker Overview

• High temperature H2/H2S corrosion
• NH3BS corrosion (sour water) and REAC’s
• Temper Embrittlement and Minimum Pressurization Temperature
• PAUT inspection
• Wet H2S Cracking WFMT and Surface Eddy Current and FFS of wet H2S damaged equipment
• Cl SCC and PASCC and downtime protection (soda ash washing), low pt drains, caustic SCC

FCC Overview

• Erosion
• Carbonate sec and wet H2S cracking and AUT

Alkylation

• HF Alkylation
• Sulfuric Acid Alkylation

Coker

• Thermal Fatigue
• Carburization

Amine and Sulfur Units

• Amine SCC
• Amine corrosion

Hydrogen Plant

• Reformer tubes and headers (Alloy 800 cracking, weldability/solution annealing for cast alloys)
• UT/EC inspection of Tubes
• CO2 corrosion
• PSA Fatigue

Instructor: 

Gerrit Buchheim, a renowned industry expert with 40 years of metallurgical, corrosion, and inspection experience, specializes in damage mechanisms such as sulfidation, wet H2S cracking, creep, HTHA, and fire damage assessment. His expertise includes creating IOWs and CCDs, conducting corrosion reviews for RBI projects, and performing FFS assessments. Mr. Buchheim has focused on aging fixed equipment in refineries, petrochemical, and upstream facilities, excelling in the identification, repair, and remediation of common damage mechanisms.  He has actively contributed to API and NACE standards development, serving in leadership roles and teaching courses. Currently with Becht Engineering, he leads a top-notch Metallurgical/Integrity Management team, providing expert advice to numerous refineries. Mr. Buchheim holds BS and MS degrees in Metallurgical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and is a licensed professional engineer in Ohio.

**Please note that the PFDs referenced in the course notes are exclusively available through Becht Connect and cannot be provided as part of the course materials.