NACE MR0175 / ISO 15156:2015
Full Title: Petroleum and natural gas industries — Materials for use in H₂S-containing environments in oil and gas production
This is an international standard jointly issued by NACE (National Association of Corrosion Engineers) and the Международная организация по стандартизации (ИСО). It provides guidance on the selection and use of metallic materials in environments containing hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), with the goal of preventing corrosion and cracking in oil and gas production systems.
Why Does the NACE MR0175 / ISO 15156 Standard Exist?
The purpose of NACE MR0175 / ISO 15156 is to prevent “invisible brittle failures” in metallic materials exposed to H₂S environments that can lead to catastrophic accidents.
In oil and gas production, many reservoirs contain hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) — such environments are referred to as “sour service.” H₂S is extremely corrosive and can cause several types of material failures:
| Corrosion Type | Full Name | Primary Failure Mechanism |
| SSC | Растрескивание под действием сульфидов | Brittle fracture of metal under tensile stress in the presence of H₂S (typical for carbon steel) |
| HIC | Hydrogen Induced Cracking | Formation of hydrogen bubbles within steel, leading to laminar cracks |
| SOHIC | Stress Oriented Hydrogen Induced Cracking | Multi-layer cracks oriented along principal stress directions |
| СКК | Коррозионное растрескивание под напряжением | Cracking in the presence of chlorides or other aggressive media |
These failures often occur without warning, leading to sudden rupture of wellheads, pipelines, valves, and pressure vessels, causing major safety, environmental, and financial losses.
Such incidents drove the National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE) to publish the first NACE MR0175 standard in 1975, providing technical guidance for selecting and qualifying metallic materials suitable for H₂S environments.
With increasing global collaboration among oil companies (e.g., Shell, BP, Total, Petrobras, CNPC, Saudi Aramco), the lack of unified standards (EN, ASTM, API, etc.) created inconsistencies.
Therefore:
- 2003 – NACE MR0175 was harmonized with ISO 15156;
- 2009 и 2015 – Major revisions were issued;
- Today’s version: NACE MR0175 / ISO 15156:2015 is jointly maintained by ISO/TC 67 and the NACE/ISO Working Group 7 (WG7).
Typical Application Scenarios
| Приложение | Описание |
| Sour Gas Field Development | Wellhead assemblies, Christmas trees, tubing, casing, valves |
| Gas Gathering Pipelines | High-pressure H₂S-containing flowlines |
| Refinery Units | Catalytic cracking, desulfurization, hydroprocessing units |
| Морские платформы | Combined H₂S + chloride corrosion environments |
Detailed Material Requirements under NACE MR0175 / ISO 15156:2015
The standard is divided into three parts:、
Part 1 – General Principles
Defines scope, terminology, corrosion mechanisms, environmental parameters (temperature, pH, H₂S partial pressure), and establishes material selection and qualification procedures.
Part 2 – Carbon and Low Alloy Steels (Cr ≤ 13%)
Specifies requirements for hardness, heat treatment, weldment condition, and SSC resistance.
- Typical maximum hardness: ≤ 22 HRC (250 HV)
- Requires control of S and P impurities
- Avoids hardened microstructures in high-stress regions
Main Requirements
| Параметр | Требование |
| Твёрдость | ≤ 22 HRC (≈ 250 HV, Rockwell B 95) |
| Термическая обработка | Normalized (N), Annealed (A), or Quenched & Tempered (Q&T) — no untempered martensite |
| Weld Zone | Post-weld heat treatment required; hardness ≤ 22 HRC |
| Sulfur / Phosphorus | S ≤ 0.010%, P ≤ 0.020% (recommended) |
| Среда | Applicable when H₂S pₚ ≥ 0.0003 MPa; pH > 3.5; T < 250°C |
| Stress Control | ≤ 75% of yield strength |
| Welding Material | Must meet equivalent hardness and compatibility requirements |
Part 3 – Corrosion Resistant Alloys (CRAs)
Covers stainless steels, nickel-based alloys, and titanium alloys, categorized into six metallurgical classes (A–F).
A. Martensitic Stainless Steels
| Оценка | УНС | Heat Treatment & Hardness | Service Limitation |
| Type 410, 420 | S41000, S42000 | Tempered; ≤ 23 HRC | pH > 3.5; low Cl⁻, low H₂S |
| Type 431 | S43100 | Tempered; ≤ 28 HRC | Same as above |
| Modified 13Cr (e.g., S41425) | Вопросы и ответы | ≤ 26 HRC | Mild sour conditions only |
B. Ferritic Stainless Steels
| Оценка | УНС | Требование | Limitation |
| 444 / 446 | S44400 / S44600 | Solution annealed; ≤ 250 HV | ≤ 60°C, low Cl⁻ |
C. Austenitic Stainless Steels
| 304L / 316L | S30403 / S31603 | Solution annealed, no strain-induced martensite | Cl⁻ ≤ 100,000 mg/L, ≤ 60°C |
| 317L / 904L | S31703 / N08904 | Same | Improved Cl⁻ and H₂S resistance |
| 254SMO | S31254 | Solution annealed | Up to 100°C, high Cl⁻ |
| Alloy 20 | N08020 | Отожженный | Moderate Cl⁻, ≤ 60°C |
D. Duplex Stainless Steels
| Оценка | УНС | Phase Balance | Твёрдость | Service Limitation |
| 2205 | С31803 / С32205 | 35–65% ferrite–austenite | ≤ 32 HRC | T ≤ 232°C, Cl⁻ ≤ 100,000 mg/L |
| 2507 | S32750 / S32760 | Same | ≤ 32 HRC | T ≤ 250°C |
| Lean Duplex 2101 / 2304 | S32101 / S32304 | Same | ≤ 28 HRC | Low H₂S environments only |
E. Nickel-Based Alloys
| Сплав | УНС | Condition | Твёрдость | Typical Use |
| Alloy 625 | N06625 | Отожженный | ≤ 40 HRC | High H₂S and high temperature |
| Сплав 718 | N07718 | Aged | ≤ 40 HRC | High-temp wellhead, fasteners |
| Alloy C-276 | N10276 | Отожженный | ≤ 40 HRC | Strong acid, high Cl⁻ |
| Alloy 825 | N08825 | Отожженный | ≤ 35 HRC | Moderate sour service |
| Alloy 400 (Monel) | N04400 | Отожженный | ≤ 35 HRC | CO₂ + H₂S mixed environments |
F. Titanium and Titanium Alloys
| Оценка | УНС | Condition | Замечания |
| Gr.2 (CP Ti) | R50400 | Отожженный | Excellent H₂S and SSC resistance |
| Gr.5 (Ti-6Al-4V) | R56400 | Отожженный | Control hydrogen uptake; avoid high Cl⁻ |
| Gr.12 (Ti-0.3Mo-0.8Ni) | R53400 | Отожженный | Improved high-temperature stability |
Typical Environmental Limits
| Параметр | Углеродистая сталь | Duplex SS | Austenitic SS | Никелевые сплавы | Титан |
| H₂S Partial Pressure (MPa) | ≤ 0.003 | ≤ 1,0 | ≤ 0.1 | up to ≥ 10 | Virtually unlimited |
| Cl⁻ Concentration (mg/L) | — | ≤ 100,000 | ≤ 100,000 | ≤ 300,000 | ≤ 10,000 |
| Температура (°С) | ≤ 250 | ≤ 250 | ≤ 100 | ≤ 300 | ≤ 315 |
| pH | > 3.5 | > 3.0 | > 3.0 | > 2.0 | No limitation |
Qualification and Compliance
- Pre-qualified materials: Those listed in ISO 15156 tables.
- Unlisted materials: Must be validated per ISO 15156-1 Annex B (Qualification Testing).
- Certificate of Compliance should state:
- UNS material designation
- Hardness and heat treatment condition
- Conformance declaration (e.g., Conforms to NACE MR0175 / ISO 15156:2015 Part X, Clause Y)
Examples of MR0175-Compliant Materials
| Категория | УНС | Название материала | Typical Standard | MR0175 Status |
| Углеродистая сталь | — | A105 / A106 Gr.B | ASME B16.5 | ✅ N, ≤22 HRC |
| Low Alloy | К21590 | AISI 4130 | ASTM A182 F22 | ✅ Q&T, ≤22 HRC |
| Austenitic SS | S31603 | 316L | ASTM A182 F316L | ✅ SA |
| Duplex SS | S32205 | 2205 | ASTM A182 F51 | ✅ SA, ≤32 HRC |
| Super Duplex | S32750 | 2507 | ASTM A182 F53 | ✅ |
| Никелевый сплав | N06625 | Alloy 625 | ASTM B446 | ✅ |
| Титан | R50400 | Grade 2 | ASTM B348 | ✅ |
Часто задаваемые вопросы
- Carbon steels and low alloy steels (e.g., A105N, A106, A333)
- Stainless steels (austenitic and duplex grades)
- Nickel-based, titanium-based, and other corrosion-resistant alloys (CRA)
Each category must meet specific requirements for chemical composition, hardness, and resistance to cracking in H₂S environments.
The Mill Test Certificate (MTC) should clearly state:
- “Material meets the requirements of NACE MR0175 / ISO 15156.”
And include:
- Hardness test results
- Chemical composition report
- HIC and SSC test results (if applicable)
- Heat treatment record
Нет.
NACE MR0175 applies only to sour (H₂S-containing) environments.
If the system operates in “sweet service” (no H₂S), standard materials such as ASTM A105 or A106 can be used without NACE compliance.
Only materials used in sour service conditions are required to meet NACE MR0175 / ISO 15156.
Краткое содержание
The essence of NACE MR0175 / ISO 15156:
A global framework for safe material selection in sour (H₂S) environments — defining the limits, mechanical conditions, and qualification requirements for metallic materials used in oil and gas production.
It specifies:
- Maximum allowable hardness
- Required heat treatment and microstructure
- Environmental boundaries (T / pH / Cl⁻ / H₂S pressure)
- Qualification and certification rules
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