Testing corrosion rates

Carbon Treatment Environment Temperature of Test Corrosion Rate ... 

Mal] Hot corrosion tests Corrosion rates and scale morphologies... 

Fig. 2.2B ISCXTORRAG tests. Corrosion rate vs. sulfur dioxide measurements (Knotkova, 1993). (See Table 2.7B for identification of sites.)...

Experience shows that at least duplicate test specimens should be exposed in each test. Under laboratory tests, corrosion rates of duplicate specimens are usually within 10 % of each other, when the attack is uniform. Occasional exceptions, in which a large difference is observed, can occur under conditions of borderline passivity of alloys that depend on a passive film for their resistance to corrosion. If the rate difference exceeds 10 %, re-testing should be considered, unless it is observed that localized attack is predominant. Corrosion rates are calculated assuming a uniform loss of metal, and therefore when specimens are attacked non-uniformly, the calculated corrosion rates indicate only the relative severity of attack and should not be used to predict the performance of an alloy to the test solution. In such cases, weight loss per unit of surface area may be used to avoid implying a uniform penetration rate. 

Figure 21.3 gives data on the corrosion resistance of tantalum to aqueous acid over the concentration range 0-37% and temperatures to 190°C. As previously, the curve shows the boiling point, and the metal is resistant at all conditions at or below the boiling point. In sealed capsule tests, corrosion rates were less than 10 mpy at 190° and concentrations below 30% and less than 50 mpy for 37% acid. At concentrations above 30% at 190°C, some... 

Type of Test F field or pilot plant test Corrosion Rates... 

There is no meaningflil correlation between laboratory corrosion tests and clinical performance, but high in vitro corrosion rates on several high nickel dental prosthetic alloys (163), together with the prevalence of allergy to nickel caused by plated jewelry, gives cause for caution. 

The composition of the test solution should be controlled to the billest extent possible and be described as thoroughly and as accurately as possible when the results are reported. Minor constituents should not be overlooked because they often affect corrosion rates. Chemical content should be reported as percentage by weight of the solution. Molarity and normality are also nelpbil in defining the concentration of chemicals in the test solution. The composition of the test solution should be checked by analysis at the end of the test to... 

If anticipated corrosion rates are moderate or low, the following equation gives a suggested test duration ... 

As with all elec trochemical studies, the environment must be electrically conduc tive. The corrosion rate is direc tly dependent on the Tafel slope. The Tafel slope varies quite widely with the particular corroding system and generally with the metal under test. As with the Tafel extrapolation technique, the Tafel slope generally used is an assumed, more or less average value. Again, as with the Tafel technique, the method is not sensitive to local corrosion. 

A test water box was installed during a 2-week trial to monitor corrosion and fouling in a utility cooling water system. A baffle plate from the test box was removed after the test. Small, hollow incipient tubercles dotted surfaces (Fig. 3.28). Small amounts of carbonate were present atop and around each tubercle. Each tubercle capped a small depression no deeper than 0.005 in. (0.013 cm) (Fig. 3.29). This indicated local average corrosion rates were as high as 130 mihy (3.3 mm/y). 

With unprotected comparison test pieces, the corrosion rate was 4 mm a , which from cell current measurements indicated that the self-corrosion was 50%. 

Tests to simulate real-world amine plant operations have shown that caustic addition doesn t substantially improve solution corrosivity and in some cases corrosion rates increase. Maintenance of low heat stable salt anion levels is a better way to go. Concentrations as low as 250 ppm are encouraged and 5,000 to 8,000 ppm seem to be tolerable. Caustie doesn t reduce the heat stable salt content of amine solution. 

The American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) recommends 250 ml of solution for every square inch of area of test metal. Exposure time is also critical. Often it is desirable to extrapolate results from short time tests to long service periods. Typically, corrosion is more intense in its early stages (before protective coatings of corrosion products build up). Results obtained from short-term tests tend to overestimate corrosion rates which often results in an overly conservative design. 

Although lusting is normally a slow process, it can be rapid under some conditions. Two men collapsed in an evaporator, which had contained warm, moist magnesium chloride. One of them later died. Afterward, tests showed that the oxygen content fell to 1% in 24 hours [9, 10]. Other tests showed that corrosion rates increased ten times when the relative humidity increased from 38% to 52% [11]. 

During the materials selection procedure isothermal corrosion testing may indicate the suitability of a material for handling a corrosive process fluid. In many cases where heat transfer is involved the metal wall temperature experienced in service is higher than the bulk process fluid temperature. This, and the actual heat transfer through the material, must be taken into account since both factors can increase corrosion rates significantly. 

The corrosion conditions can be different at the fluid line from the bulk condition. Aqueous liquids have a concave meniscus, which creates a thin film of liquid on the vessel wall immediately above the liquid line. Some corrosion processes, particularly the diffusion of dissolved gases, are more rapid in these conditions. Additionally, the concentration of dissolved gases is highest near the liquid surface, especially when agitation is poor. Locally high corrosion rates can therefore occur at the liquid line, leading to thinning in a line around the vessel. This effect is reduced if the liquid level in the vessel varies with time. Any corrosion tests undertaken as part of the materials selection procedure should take this effect into account. 

The rotating disc and rotating cylinder have been successfully applied in the laboratory to study the effect of flow on corrosion rates and are much easier to use than actual pipelines and other real geometries. The results of these tests can now be correlated to geometries likely to be found in pipes, pumps, bends, etc. in plant by use of dimensionless group analysis. There-... 

A comprehensive table of corrosion rates in sea water has been compiled by LaQue . This appears to show no obvious dependence of corrosion rates on the geographical location of the testing site, and few of the rates depart widely from an average of 0-11 mm/y. It is suggested that a figure of 0-13 mm/y may be taken as a reasonable estimate of the expected rate of corrosion of steel or iron continuously immersed in sea water under natural conditions, in any part of the world. 

It is significant that most of the data from which a remarkable uniformity of attack is deduced are derived from small isolated panels. This is the most convenient form of specimen for measurements of corrosion rates by loss of weight but it eliminates the important effect of galvanic currents passing between remote parts of a large structure. It is believed that the experience of civil engineers and other users would not support the conclusion suggested by panel tests that corrosion is no faster in tropical than in temperate waters. 

Soil resistivity The role of soil in the electrical circuitry of corrosion is now apparent. Thus the conductivity of the soil represents an important parameter. Soil resistivity has probably been more widely used than any other test procedure. Opinions of experts vary somewhat as to the actual values in terms of ohm centimetres which relate to metal-loss rates. The extended study of the US Bureau of Standards presents a mass of data with soil-resistivity values given. A weakness of the resistivity procedure is that it neither indicates variations in aeration and pH of the soil, nor microbial activity in terms of coating deterioration or corrosion under anaerobic conditions. Furthermore, as shown by Costanzo rainfall fluctuations markedly affect readings. Despite its short comings, however, this procedure represents a valuable survey method. Scott points out the value of multiple data and the statistical nature of the resistivity readings as related to corrosion rates (see also Chapter 10). 

Oxidation-reduction potential Because of the interest in bacterial corrosion under anaerobic conditions, the oxidation-reduction situation in the soil was suggested as an indication of expected corrosion rates. The work of Starkey and Wight , McVey , and others led to the development and testing of the so-called redox probe. The probe with platinum electrodes and copper sulphate reference cells has been described as difficult to clean. Hence, results are difficult to reproduce. At the present time this procedure does not seem adapted to use in field tests. Of more importance is the fact that the data obtained by the redox method simply indicate anaerobic situations in the soil. Such data would be effective in predicting anaerobic corrosion by sulphate-reducing bacteria, but would fail to give any information regarding other types of corrosion. 

Combination electrical methods Tomashov and Mikhailovsky describe a method developed in the Soviet Union. This test is essentially a combination of resistivity measurement and polarisation rates on iron electrodes in soil in situ. The usefulness and value of this procedure has not as yet been determined by practical application by corrosion engineers. The development of this combination test does, however, represent an attempt to integrate some of the complex factors controlling corrosion rates in soil. Much more research on these factors and methods of measurement should in the future enable the corrosion engineer to evaluate soil properties with respect to application of corrosion-alleviating operations. 

Gettleman, L., Cocks, F. H., Darmiento, L. A., Levine. P. A., Wright, S. and Nathanson, D. Measurement of In Vivo Corrosion Rates in Baboons and Correlation with In Vitro Tests , Journal of Dental Research, 59, 689-707 (1980)... 

In most districts, however, sulphur dioxide and dust particles are the main corrosive pollutants. It has been demonstrated that there is a direct relationship between sulphur dioxide in the atmosphere and the corrosion of steel exposed to it (see Fig. 3.2). In a series of tests carried out in the Sheffield area, sulphur dioxide accounted for about 50% of the variations in corrosion rate at the different sites. ... 

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