Stress corrosion cracking is cracking due to a process involving conjoint corrosion and straining of a metal due to residual or applied stresses.
Stress corrosion cracking is an insidious form of corrosion; it produces a marked loss of mechanical strength with little metal loss; the damage is not obvious to casual inspection and the stress corrosion cracks can trigger mechanical fast fracture and catastrophic failure of components and structures.
Under certain condition chlorides can cause stress corrosion cracking to stainless steel materials, which are used abundant in urea plants. Chlorides can origin from different sources and small amounts can lead already to safety risks and expensive maintenance projects. Enough reasons to have a closer look at chlorides in urea plants.

2009 05 Brouwer UreaKnowHow.com Chlorides in Urea Plants.pdf