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Special Handling Procecures on Inconel 625 Components

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aggieengineerrmb

Mechanical
May 27, 2003
28
Does anyone know of a reasonable and prudent approach that is typically used for handling of Inconel 625 components that have been pickled and passivated. The idea behind a special parts handling procedure is to avoid any possible contamination by ferritic materials after the parts have been pickled.

When assembling and testing 625 components in a shop that routinely deals with carbon steel or iron components, I know it is possible that the pristine 625 parts could become contaminated with Fe that COULD adversely affect the corrosion resistance of the 625, but I am worried that the definition adequate protection could be carried to extremes when interpereted by an over-zealous inspector. Obviously I don't want to pound on the 625 with an iron hammer, but some of the requests I have heard (like don't sit the part on a wood pallet that might have an exposed nail heads, only use NEW nylon straps to lift the part, or don't touch the part without first putting on a NEW pair of white cotton gloves) seem to border on the extreme.

Is there any handling procedure that exists that an Oil Company might accept? We are not producing computer chips in a clean room environmnet, just typical oilfield components. We want to do the right think in insure we don't compromise the parts, but by the same token we don't want to build excessive cost into the parts or put together some handling procedure that is not workable in real world situations.
 
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We had a similar challenge with titanium parts for chemical plant that were not to be contaminated. Parts were kept clean before and after machining simply by putting them inside a plastic bag. Stainless steel wire brushes were used when necessary. People on the shop floor were informed of what was required, and were pretty good about following cleanliness procedures.

As a check for surface contamination, we were required to follow ASTM A380, "Standard Practice for Cleaning, Descaling and Passivation of Stainless Steel Parts, Equipment and Systems".

Section 7 (Inspection after Cleaning) gives a couple of tests for detection of iron contamination. We have used the Ferroxyl Test very succesfully on titanium alloys. Application of the solution was carried out with a spray bottle. Removing surface iron contamination can either be done by brushing off, washing off or ultimately by grinding out and welding up the hole (if allowed)

Best of luck

Bruv
 
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