Ethylene furnace components are inherently expensive and are exposed to severe operating conditions. Components experience immediate and progressive degradation and possess a finite service life, based on operating parameters.

Increasingly expensive furnace components and the intrinsically high costs of unplanned shutdowns, due to component failures, provide substantial incentives to maximize reliability. Component degradation due to normal operating parameters is expected and acceptable; premature component failures are not. The prevention of unexpected failures results in predictable operations and increased profitability.

This paper describes the ethylene process, a brief history of component metallurgy and some information on component properties. A review of several component failures will clearly detail the relationship between proper failure analysis techniques and improved reliability. These reviews will illustrate how failure analysis provides a pathway to improved reliability.