Failure analysis of oil-conveying pipe elbow leakage for marine oil loading arm

Abstract The marine oil loading arm, as a special type of transportation equipment, is an efficient and safe oil terminal loading and unloading device. Due to the accumulation of internal impurities in the transportation medium and the influence of coastal moisture and salt spray, oil-conveying pipes are corroded easily. Once corrosion leakage occurs, it can easily cause casualties or environmental pollution. A leakage occurred at the inlet elbow of a marine oil loading arm at a certain oil tanker terminal. Through chemical composition analysis, mechanical analysis, metallographic analysis, and energy spectrum analysis of the elbow, it is shown that the failure of the elbow is caused by oxygen corrosion.