Outline of Updates to NACE MR0175 / ISO 15156 H2S Testing: Verification, Qualification, and Balloting

Abstract NACE MR0175 / ISO 15156 is the global Standard for metallic materials suitability for H2S-containing (sour) oil and gas production environments. A rewritten version of the previous series, 2003 to 2021 editions, is in the process of ISO review for publication. The third of three parts in the rewritten Standard concerns the verification, qualification, and balloting requirements for metallic materials in H2S service with a significant focus on how to perform tests in the presence of H2S to meet these requirements. The new version clarifies the definitions of qualification vs. balloting and adds significantly more detail than the NACE MR0175-2021 version on testing, particularly to qualify materials for specific service defined by the equipment user’s service assessment. Improvements and expansions of the content in the new version include guidance on sampling different product forms, what test methods to use, and the extent of testing necessary to qualify a product or manufacturing route, compared to preparing testing results to ballot changes to the Standard. This paper provides an overview of the new version and background on the motivation to clearly separate out requirements for verification, qualification, and balloting.