Aggressive environment testing (AET) assesses how materials and components withstand extreme conditions such as high pressures and temperatures, corrosive substances, or combinations thereof, measuring their effects on mechanical properties, flaw tolerance, and overall durability. This testing is often a form of destructive testing, involving tests such as corrosion, fatigue, and fracture tests (including tensile testing) to identify failure points and ensure reliability for demanding applications in sectors like oil and gas and aerospace. These tests can inform asset owners of the long term effects of aggressive environment exposure as well as identifying internal stresses and causes of residual stress.
Designed to evaluate the performance of both materials and finished products under harsh operating conditions, AET involves subjecting components or materials to these environments to understand their limits before being put into service.
Common Aggressive Environments and Tests
Common aggressive environments that warrant tests include:
- Corrosive Environments: These are acidic conditions such as those found in ‘sour’ (H2S) or ‘sweet’ (CO2) environments
- High Pressure and Temperature (HPHT): High pressure and temperature environments are often encountered in deep sea applications, such as those encountered in the geothermal or oil and gas industries
- Fatigue Crack Growth: This specifically assesses how cracks grow under constant or variable loading in an aggressing environment
- Fracture Testing: This measures a material’s resistance to fracture under extreme conditions
- Exposure to Hazardous Substances: This is the testing of a material when subjected to a hazardous substance such as chlorine
Benefits of Aggressive Environment Testing
Aggressive environment testing offers several benefits, including:
- Assessing Durability: Providing information to understand a material’s resistance to failure and flaw tolerance under severe conditions
- Identifying Weak Points: AET allows you to locate design weaknesses and potential performance limitations before a part is put into use in the real world
- Providing Reliability: Understanding the limitations of a material of component allows you to gauge the operational and storage requirements in different sectors
Aggressive Environment Testing at TWI
If your business operates in environments in which very high or low temperatures or pressures are a factor, or involves working with hazardous substances, our dedicated environmental testing facility can give you confidence in your components.
We test the performance of materials and joints in aggressive environments, measuring the effect of the conditions on a part's mechanical properties or flaw tolerance.