Sulfide stress corrosion cracking in L360QS pipelines: A comprehensive failure analysis and implications for natural gas transportation safety

This research investigates the severe weld failures in L360QS pipelines, which are integral to the infrastructure of high-pressure natural gas transportation systems. Even with strict compliance to engineering standards, two pivotal welds experienced sulfide stress corrosion cracking (SSCC) due to continuous exposure to hydrogen sulfide and stresses from construction activities. A comprehensive material analysis and stress simulation has been utilized, revealing a maximum stress concentration of 544.9 MPa that surpasses the yield strength of the pipeline material . This discovery prompts a reevaluation of current safety margins and underscores the urgent need for enhanced pipeline integrity management. Our findings, corroborated by stress distribution simulations, not only illuminate the complex interplay of material properties and environmental factors in SSCC but also provide a new perspective for the safe service of pipeline. • Innovative multi-scale assessment of pipeline steel integrity. • Novel computational models predict pipeline weld stress vulnerabilities. • Reveals H 2 S and moisture as key SSCC triggers in pipeline failures.