A pinhole leak of glycol can be detrimental to the integrity of plant and process equipment. At elevated temperatures and pressures, glycol can degrade to organic acids, which can acidify the stream and lead to accelerated system corrosion. While the extent of plant aging or wall thinning is difficult to quantify, plant shutdown can cost several million dollars a day in lost revenue. Unfortunately, pH and conductivity are insufficient to detect glycol leaks from feedwater pumps and do not alert operators of degradation to organic acids until it’s too late. TOC proved to be the most valuable parameter for detecting glycol from low levels to high levels either in the lab or online. A change in TOC levels will indicate a glycol leak from the typical process levels.
