High-nickel stainless steel plates

P3-4 Corrosion of high-nickel stainless steel plates was found to occur in a distillation column used at DuPont to separate HCN and water. Sulfuric acid is always added at the top of the column to prevent polymerization of HCN. Water collects at the bottom cf the column and HCN at the top. The amount of corrosion on each tray is shown in Figure P3-4 as a function of plate location in the column. 

Electroplating passive alloys Another application of strike baths reverses the case illustrated in the previous example. The strike is used to promote a small amount of cathode corrosion. When the passivation potential of a substrate lies below the cathode potential of a plating bath, deposition occurs onto the passive oxide film, and the coating is non-adherent. Stainless steel plated with nickel in normal baths retains its passive film and the coating is easily peeled off. A special strike bath is used with a low concentration of nickel and a high current density, so that diffusion polarisation (transport overpotential) depresses the potential into the active region. The bath has a much lower pH than normal. The low pH raises the substrate passivation potential E pa, which theoretically follows a relation... 

This technique consists of pressing the metal parts during heat treatment carried out at high temperatures, usually at 50-75% of the metal s melting point. The procedure uses a thermo-mechanical press consisting of two stainless steel plates tightened by screws made of Invar, a nickel-steel alloy with a very low coefficient of thermal expansion. The thin Pd-Ag foil is wrapped around an alumina bar and its Umbs are kept close by the thermomechanical press shown in Fig. 16.4. 

Valves must be made of fatigue-resistant carbon or alloy steel or 18-8 stainless steel, depending upon the service. The 18-8 stainless and 12-14 chrome steel is often used for corrosive and/or high temperature service. Any springs, as in the plate-type valves, are either carbon or nickel steel. Valve passages must be smooth, streamlined, and as large as possi-... 

Our experimental techniques have been described extensively in earlier papers (2, 13). The gamma ray irradiations were carried out in a 50,000-curie source located at the bottom of a pool. The photoionization experiments were carried out by krypton and argon resonance lamps of high purity. The krypton resonance lamp was provided with a CaF2 window which transmits only the 1236 A. (10 e.v.) line while the radiation from the argon resonance lamp passed through a thin ( 0.3 mm.) LiF window. In the latter case, the resonance lines at 1067 and 1048 A. are transmitted. The intensity of 1048-A. line was about 75% of that of the 1067-A. line. The number of ions produced in both the radiolysis and photoionization experiments was determined by measuring the saturation current across two electrodes. In the radiolysis, the outer wall of a cylindrical stainless steel reaction vessel served as a cathode while a centrally located rod was used as anode. The photoionization apparatus was provided with two parallel plate nickel electrodes which were located at equal distances from the window of the resonance lamp. 

Metal foams have been used in the past in the development of FF plates. However, Gamburzev and Appleby [53] used Ni foams as both a DL and a flow field plate with an MPL layer on one of its surfaces. They observed that such a design had high contact resistance between the nickel foam and the MPL and also increased gas diffusion resistance due to the required MPL thickness. Arisetty, Prasad, and Advani [54] were able to demonstrate that these materials can also be used as potential anode diffusion layers in DMFCs (see Figure 4.10). In fact, the nickel foam used in this study performed better than a carbon cloth (Avcarb 1071HCB) and a stainless steel mesh. However, it was recognized that a major drawback for these foams is their susceptibility to corrosion. 

Researchers have tried to fabricate plates using many different metals— mainly, stainless steel, aluminum alloys, titanium alloys, nickel alloys, copper alloys, intermetallic alloys, and metal-based composites such as carbon fiber-reinforced aluminum alloys, carbon fiber reinforced copper alloys, etc. [26]. Although Ta, Hf, Nb, Zr, and Ti metals show good corrosion resistance and chemical stability [6], the cost of fhese metals is too high for them to be used as materials in metal plates. That is why relatively cheaper iron-based alloys, particularly stainless steel, have been popularly studied as plate material. In the following secfions, we will infroduce sfainless sfeel (SS) and SS plates, which have been extensively investigated and show promise for the final applications [6,11]. 

Nickel is used mostly for the production of stainless steel and other nickel alloys with high corrosion and temperature resistance. Nickel alloys and nickel platings are used in vehicles, processing machinery, armaments, tools, electrical equipment, household appliances, and coins. Nickel compounds also are used as catalysts, pigments, and in batteries. 

Ferrochrome, a high-chromium alloy with iron, is made by reducing chromite with carbon in the electric furnace. It is used for making alloy steels. The alloys of chromium are very important, especially the alloy steels. The chromium steels are very hard, tough, and. strong. They are used for armor plate, projectiles, safes, etc. Ordinary stainless steel contains 14 to 18% chromium, and usually 8% nickel. 

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