Corrosion products accumulation

Clostridia are anaerobic bacteria that can produce organic acids. Short-chain organic acids can be quite aggressive to steel. Clostridia are frequently found deep beneath deposit and corrosion-product accumulations near corroding surfaces and within tubercles. Increased acidity directly contributes to wastage. 

Gaseous corrosion is a general form of corrosion whereby a metal is exposed to a gas (usually at elevated temperatures). Direct oxidation of a metal in air is the most common cause. Cast iron growth is a specific form of gaseous corrosion in which corrosion products accumulate onto the metal surface (and particularly at grain boundaries) to the extent that they cause visible thickening of the metal. The entire metal thickness may succumb to this before loss of strength causes failure. 

Appreciable corrosion in the transpassive region does not occur for iron in sulfuric acid (oxygen evolution is the primary reaction), but increased corrosion does occur in alkaline solutions that favor formation of ferrate, FeOi". Transpassivity accounts for an observed increase of corrosion rate with time for 18-8 stainless steels in boiling concentrated nitric add, in which corrosion products accumulate, in particular Cr207", and move the corrosion potential into the transpassive region. 

For weathering steels corrosion product accumulated with time leading to the retardation of corrosion rate with time, whereas for mild steel corrosion rate increased with time. 

Document any obvious areas of corrosion or corrosion product accumulation. 

Plugged seal legs are often a problem just after start-up. Minerals in the refractory are leached out by the moisture and acid produced during heat-up. These minerals, as well as corrosion products, accumulate on the liquid sulfur surface in the seal legs. A steady increase in pressure drop, shortly after start-up, is often caused when these deposits solidify in the seal legs. 

The filiform corrosion cell is made up of the active head and an inert tail where corrosion products accumulate. The head, where chlorides concentrate and acidification occurs, forms the anode, where aluminium oxidation takes place ... 

Cooling System Corrosion Corrosion can be defined as the destmction of a metal by chemical or electrochemical reaction with its environment. In cooling systems, corrosion causes two basic problems. The first and most obvious is the failure of equipment with the resultant cost of replacement and plant downtime. The second is decreased plant efficiency to loss of heat transfer, the result of heat exchanger fouling caused by the accumulation of corrosion products. 

Whenever corrosion resistance results from the accumulation of layers of insoluble corrosion products on the metallic surface, the effect of high velocity may be either to prevent their normal formation or to remove them after they have been formed. Either effect allows corrosion to proceed unhindered. This occurs frequently in smaU-diameter tubes or pipes through which corrosive liquids may be circulated at high velocities (e.g., condenser and evaporator tubes), in the vicinity of oends in pipe hnes, and on propellers, agitators, and cen-trifiig pumps. Similar effects are associated with cavitation and impingement corrosion. 

Local variations in temperature and crevices that permit the accumulation of corrosion products are capable of allowing the formation of concentration cells, with the result of accelerated local corrosion. 

As rust accumulates, oxygen migration is reduced through the corrosion product layer. Regions below the rust layer become oxygen depleted. An oxygen concentration cell then develops. Corrosion naturally becomes concentrated into small regions beneath the rust, and tubercles are born. 

Calcium carbonate has normal pH and inverse temperature solubilities. Hence, such deposits readily form as pH and water temperature rise. Copper carbonate can form beneath deposit accumulations, producing a friable bluish-white corrosion product (Fig. 4.17). Beneath the carbonate, sparkling, ruby-red cuprous oxide crystals will often be found on copper alloys (Fig. 4.18). The cuprous oxide is friable, as these crystals are small and do not readily cling to one another or other surfaces (Fig. 4.19). If chloride concentrations are high, a white copper chloride corrosion product may be present beneath the cuprous oxide layer. However, experience shows that copper chloride accumulation is usually slight relative to other corrosion product masses in most natural waters. 

Two sections of steel condenser tubing experienced considerable metal loss from internal surfaces. An old section contained a perforation the newer section had not failed. A stratified oxide and deposit layer overlaid all internal surfaces (Fig. 5.14). Corrosion was severe along a longitudinal weld seam in the older section (Fig. 5.15). Differential oxygen concentration cells operated beneath the heavy accumulation of corrosion products and deposits. The older tube perforated along a weld seam. 

Chemical analysis showed that each organism contained up to 50% silica by weight. Each was coated with iron oxides, silt, and other deposits and corrosion products. In places, large deposit accumulations were clearly correlated with large numbers of organisms. 

Stress-corrosion cracks tend to branch along the metal surfaces. Typically, evidence of corrosion, such as accumulations of corrosion products, is not observed, although stains in the cracked region may be apparent. Stress-corrosion cracks tend to originate at physical discontinuities, such as pits, notches, and corners. Areas that may possess high-residual stresses, such as welds or arc strikes, are also susceptible. 

The classic signature of erosion-corrosion is the formation of horseshoeshaped depressions, comet tads, grooves, or sand dunelike surface contours oriented along the direction of fluid flow (Figs. 11.1,11.2,11.3,11.5, and 11.8). Occasionally, erosion-corrosion will produce smooth, almost featureless, surface contours (Fig. 11.15), although even in this case oriented metal loss often exists around the perimeter of the affected region. If erosion-corrosion has been recently active, affected surfaces will be free of accumulated deposits and corrosion products. 

Cavitation typically produces sharp, jagged, spongelike metal loss, even in ductile materials. The affected region is free of deposits and accumulated corrosion products if cavitation has been recent. 

The limitation of these instruments is that they only indicate overall corrosion rate. Their sensitivity is affected by deposition of corrosion products, mineral scales or accumulation of hydrocarbons. Corrosivity of a system can be measured only if the continuous component of the system is an electrolyte. 

Table 10.9 lists some common zinc anode alloys. In three cases aluminium is added to improve the uniformity of dissolution and thereby reduce the risk of mechanical detachment of undissolved anode material . Cadmium is added to encourage the formation of a soft corrosion product that readily crumbles and falls away so that it cannot accumulate to hinder dissolution. The Military Specification material was developed to avoid the alloy passivating as a result of the presence of iron . It later became apparent that this material suffered intergranular decohesion at elevated temperatures (>50°C) with the result that the material failed by fragmentation". The material specified by Det Norske Veritas was developed to overcome the problem the aluminium level was reduced under the mistaken impression that it produced the problem. It has since been shown that decohesion is due to a hydrogen embrittlement mechanism and that it can be overcome by the addition of small concentrations of titanium". It is not clear whether... 

Sacrificial anodes are of limited application due to accumulation of anode corrosion product and also in many cases, to high water resistivity. 

Some disadvantages stem from the same phenomena impeded diffusion reduces the maximum practical rate of plating to well below that possible with aquocation baths. The cyanide ion is not entirely stable both oxidation and reduction products accumulate, including carbonate. Carbonate is also formed in the alkaline cyanide baths (all cyanide baths are alkaline except some based on aurocyanides) by absorption of COj from the air, and it is necessary either to replace or purify baths periodically. Much has been made of the toxicity of cyanides, but the other process solutions used in plating are generally extremely toxic and corrosive or caustic, and it is necessary to treat them all with respect. 

Surface cleaning as a preparation for coatings is discussed in Sections 11.1 and 11.2. It is important to control degreasing baths to prevent accumulation of water and formation of corrosive products which will contaminate the atmosphere as well as the objects being degreased. In the case of tri-chlorethylene, stabilisers are added to prevent formation of hydrochloric acid Exclusion of dust is beneficial, and may necessitate filtering the air or use of a temporary protective. 

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