Corrosion electrochemical techniques

One or a combination of techniques described in previous sections and in references 1-13 can be utihzed to investigate the effects of REM compounds on metal corrosion. Electrochemical techniques are often used to obtain information... 

R. Baboian, ed.. Electrochemical Techniques in Corrosion Engineering, NACE, Houston, Tex., 1986. 

Electrochemical systems are found in a number of industrial processes. In addition to the subsequent discussions of electrosynthesis, electrochemical techniques are used to measure transport and kinetic properties of systems (see Electroanalyticaltechniques) to provide energy (see Batteries Euel cells) and to produce materials (see Electroplating). Electrochemistry can also play a destmctive role (see Corrosion and corrosion control). The fundamentals necessary to analyze most electrochemical systems have been presented. More details of the fundamentals of electrochemistry are contained in the general references. 

Y"et, corrosion engineering and science is no longer an empirical art dissecting a large corrosion problem into its basic mechanisms allows the use of quite sophisticated electrochemical techniques to accomplish satisfactory results. On that positive side, there is real satisfaction and economic gain in designing a component that can resist punishing seiwice conditions under which other parts fail. In some cases, we cannot completely prevent corrosion, but we can try to avoid obsolescence or the component due to corrosion. 

Electrochemical techniques have been used for years to study fundamental phenomenological corrosion reactions of metals in corrosive environments. Unfortunately, the learning curve in the reduction of these elec trochemical theories to practice has been painfully slow. However, a recent survey has shown that many organizations in the... 

The potentiodynamic polarization electrochemical technique can be used to study and interpret corrosion phenomena. It may also furnish useful information on film breakdown or repair. 

The use of impedance electrochemical techniques to study corrosion mechanisms and to determine corrosion rates is an emerging technology. Elec trode impedance measurements have not been widely used, largely because of the sophisticated electrical equipment required to make these measurements. Recent advantages in micro-elec tronics and computers has moved this technique almost overnight from being an academic experimental investigation of the concept itself to one of shelf-item commercial hardware and computer software, available to industrial corrosion laboratories. 

Use and Uimitations of Electrochemical Techniques A major caution must be noted as to the general, indiscriminate use of all electrochemical tests, especially the use of AC and EIS test techniques, for the study of corrosion systems. AC and EIS techniques are apphcable for the evaluation of very thin films or deposits that are uniform, constant, and stable—for example, thin-film protective coatings. Sometimes, researchers do not recognize the dynamic nature of some passive films, corrosion produc ts, or deposits from other sources nor do they even consider the possibility of a change in the surface conditions during the course of their experiment. As an example, it is note-... 

Warnings are noted in the literature to be careful in the interpretation of data from electrochemical techniques applied to systems in which complex and often poorly understood effects are derived from surfaces which contain active or viable organisms, and so forth. Rather, it is even more important to not use such test protocol unless the investigator fuhy understands both the corrosion mechanism and the test technique being considered—and their interrelationship. 

To obtain the corrosion current from Rp, values for the anodic and cathodic slopes must be known or estimated. ASTM G59 provides an experimental procedure for measuring Rp. A discussion or the factors which may lead to errors in the values for Rp, and cases where Rp technique cannot be used, are covered by Mansfeld in Polarization Resistance Measurements—Today s Status, Electrochemical Techniques for Corrosion Engineers (NACE International, 1992). 

Specifics on the type of biological attack. This must be done by some other method such as chemical analysis of the solution (plus consideration given to limitations to the use of these several electrochemical techniques for MIC studies, noted previously under Corrosion Testing Laboratoiy Tests and subsequent subsections). 

Cathodic protection (CP) is an electrochemical technique of corrosion control in which the potential of a metal surface is moved in a cathodic direction to reduce the thermodynamic tendency for corrosion. CP requires that the item to be protected be in contact with an electrolyte. Only those parts of the item that are electrically coupled to the anode and to which the CP current can flow are protected. Thus, the inside of a buried pipe is not capable of cathodic protection unless a suitable anode is placed inside the pipe. The electrolyte through which the CP current flows is usually seawater or soil. Fresh waters generally have inadequate conductivity (but the interiors of galvanized hot water tanks are sometimes protected by a sacrificial magnesium anode) and the conductivity... 

A number of corrosion-monitoring techniques based on electrochemical principles are available. These give an indication of the instantaneous corrosion rate, which is of use when changing process conditions create a variety of corrosion effects at different times in a plant. Some... 

Electrochemical Techniques Although the linear polarisation resistance technique has moved beyond the infancy status attributed to it in the original material, its inherent limitations remain, i.e. it is a perturbation technique, sensitive to environmental conductivity and insensitive to localised corrosion. Two developments have occurred ... 

Development of this technique by CAPCIS (UMIST, Manchester, UK), has led to an instrument system utilising several electrochemical techniques (d.c. and a.c.) from a multi-element probe. Electrochemical noise was able to operate in an acid-condensing environment with small amounts of liquid The combination of data using several electrochemical techniques enabled identification of the corrosion mechanism in this application. 

Mansfield, F., Don t Be Afraid of Electrochemical Techniques-But Use Them With Care , Corrosion, 27, 12, 856-868, December (1988)... 

Baboian, R., (ed.), Electrochemical Techniques for Corrosion , Corrosion, Sponsored by Unit Committee T-3L, NACE (1976)... 

While each container manufacturer has developed proprietary tests, most are based on electrochemical techniques. Corrosion in enameled ETP or TFS cans can be evaluated using one of the available procedures (28, 29, 30). Corrosion performance of plain tinplate cans can be estimated using the Progressive ATC Test developed by Kamm (6, 7). These tests should speed the development of new containers. 

The measurement of corrosion current has provided, as is well known, a quite useful electrochemical technique for determining corrosion rates. However, contrary to homogeneous corrosion, pitting corrosion is a typical heterogeneous reaction on a metal surface, so that it is difficult to estimate the actual corrosion state from the usual corrosion current data. 

Nagy, Z. DC Electrochemical Techniques for the Measurement of Corrosion Rates 25... 

Application of Electrochemical Techniques to the Study of Mierobiologieally Influenced Corrosion... 

Electrochemical On-Line Corrosion Monitoring On-line corrosion monitoring is used to evaluate the status of equipment and piping in chemical process industries (CPI) plants. These monitoring methods are based on electrochemical techniques. To use on-line monitoring effectively, the engineer needs to understand the underlying electrochemical test methods to be employed. This section covers many of these test methods and their applications as well as a review of potential problems encountered with such test instruments and how to overcome or avoid these difficulties. 

Before electrochemical techniques are used in the evaluation of any situation involving microbes, tihe test protocol must receive considerable review by personnel quite experienced in both electrochemical testing and microbiologically influenced corrosion. It must be demonstrated that the method is capable of detecting and in some cases quantitatively measuring corrosion influenced by microbes. 

Other electrochemical techniques covered include measurements of the corrosion potential, the redox potential, the polarization resistance, the electrochemical impedance, electrochemical noise, and polarization curves, including pitting scans. A critical review of the literature concerned with the application of electrochemical techniques in the study of MIC is available [1164]. 

The effectiveness of various chemicals such as IH-benzotriazole, 2-methyl-benzotriazole, and 2-phenylbenzimidazole as a corrosion inhibitor for mild steel in 15% HCl was investigated by weight loss and electrochemical techniques [1547]. Among different azoles, 2-phenylbenzimidazole has shown the best performance. A synergism of iodide and 2-phenylbenzimidazole was observed. 

F. Mansfeld and B. Little. The application of electrochemical techniques for the study of MIC (microbiologically influenced corrosion)— critical review. In Proceedings Volume. NACE Int Corrosion Fomm (Corrosion 90) (Las Vegas, NV, 4/23-4/27), 1990. 

Electrochemical techniques have been utilized for many years to study metal corrosion. Two of these techniques, linear polarization (LP) and cyclic voltammetry (CV), complement each other, LP providing corrosion rates under conditions where the surface is minimally altered and CV furnishing information about the corrosion mechanism. With the advent of impedance spectroscopy (IS), both kinds of information can be gleaned simultaneously and more rapidly, while leaving the surface almost intact. In this paper, we discuss the application of IS to the study of rapid steel corrosion and describe a study we undertook to elucidate the roles played by adsorption and film formation in the inhibition mechanisms of the above-named compounds. For comparison, we also investigated two quaternary nitrogen salts, which appear to adsorb electrostatically and presumably do not form macroscopic films (8). 

---