You are on page 1of 15

Paper No.

5620 

Studyofpittingcorrosionofcorrosionresistantalloysatextremehightemperatureusing
electrochemicalmeasurements

JinHuang

ClariantOil&MiningServices,5501DistrictBlvd,Bakersfield,CA,93313

PaulaGuraieb,ChaoYan,RossTomson

BrineChemistrySolutions,LLC

8285ElRioSt.,Suite110,Houston,TX,77054

Abstract

Alackofdataandmodelsforcorrosionandscaleattheextremetemperaturesandpressures
(xHTHP)encounteredinultradeepwaterreservoirsincreasestheeconomicandsafetyrisksof
offshoreproduction.Corrosionresistantalloys(CRAs)arecommonlyusedforultradeepwater
oilandgasproduction.ThoseCRAsareusuallygoodtoresistuniformcorrosion,however,
localizedcorrosion(e.g.pitting)isalwaysaconcernfortheseapplications.

Thepresentworkisaimedatevaluatingthepittingcorrosiontendencyofdifferentdeepwater
operationtubingmaterialsatrealisticultradeepwatertemperature(upto250C)andCO2
partialpressure(upto100psig)inastaticautoclavereactorunderdifferentsalinityconditions.
Electrochemicaltechniquecyclicpolarizationwasusedtoevaluatethepotentialofpitting
corrosionofdifferentalloys.Amethodologytoapplyverticalscanninginterferometer(VSI)to
assesstheseverityoflocalizedcorrosionwasdevelopedaswell.

Keywords:corrosionresistantalloys,cyclicpolarization,hightemperature,pitting,ultra
deepwater,CO2corrosion

Introduction

TheGulfofMexico(GOM)containshundredsofoilandgasproductionwellsandisacritical
componenttotheenergyinfrastructureoftheUnitedStates.Atleastforthenextthirtyyears
thereislittledoubtoftwotrendsinenergyuse;firstthatoilandgaswillcontinuetobeatthe

2015 by NACE International. Requests for permission to publish this manuscript in any form, in part or in whole, must be in writing to
NACE International, Publications Division, 15835 Park Ten Place, Houston, Texas 77084. The material presented and the views expressed in
this paper are solely those of the author(s) and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association.
1
coreofourenergymix,andsecondthatproductionwillcontinuetobefromreservoirswith
moreandmorehostileconditionsofpressure,temperature,andfluidcompositions.
Unanticipatedscaleformationand/orcorrosionhavebeenknowntostopproductionquickly.If
corrosionweretobreakthroughtubinginanoffshorewellandexposethecasingandcement
totheextremehighpressuresandtemperaturesoftheformation,theeconomicdamagecould
beenormousandtheenvironmentalimpactdisastrous.Theoilandgasindustryhasspentyears
understandingscale,corrosion,andfluidproperties,butgenerallyupto150C(302F)and
7,000to10,000psig,withlimitedworkbeingdoneathighertemperaturesandpressures.Often,
theseupperlimitsoftypicaltestingarerelatedtoequipmentlimitations.Theoverallobjective
ofthisDepartmentofEnergyfundedresearchistobridgethisgapoftestingandtheoryfrom
thepresentcommonpracticetothetemperature,pressure,andconditionsneededinnext
generationofoilandgasproductioninAmerica.[1]

Localizedcorrosionintheformofpitandcrevicesincorrosionresistantalloysisoneofthe
biggestchallengesformaterialselectionforapplicationsintheoilandgasindustry.Pitting
resistanceequivalentnumber(PREN)hasbeenusedtodescribethesusceptibilityofsteeltypes
topittingorcrevicecorrosion[2,3,4].Itcanbecalculatedfromthealloycomposition;for
stainlesssteel, PRENss %Cr  3.3%Mo  16%N .Fornickelbasedalloys,
PRENnickel %Cr  1.5(%Mo  %W  %Nb) .PRENcanbeagoodtooltoestimatethepitting
resistanceofcertainalloys;however,atextremetemperatureandtotaldissolvedsolids
conditionsoftenencounteredatultradeepwaterreservoirs,theuseofPRENasthecriteriafor
evaluationofthelocalizedcorrosionresistanceofalloysmaynotbereliable.Inthiswork,the
PRENnumberofthealloystestedwascalculatedusingequation:
PREN=%Cr+3(%Mo)+1.5(%W+%Nb)+16%N.

Electrochemicaltechniquessuchaspolarizationhavebeenusedinthelaboratorytoevaluate
thelocalizedcorrosionsusceptibilityofCRAsatrelativelylowtemperature(<100C)and
salinitylevels(<500mg/L).[514]Verylittleworkhasbeencarriedoutattemperatureover
200C.Theauthorsofthisworkhavedevelopedreliabletestequipmentandproceduresusing
electrochemicalmeasurementstoexperimentallystudythecorrosionofalloysatextreme
temperatureandsalinityconditions[15].Withthecyclicpolarizationtechniqueused,features
suchascriticalpotentialrelatedtolocalizedcorrosionofCRAsatconditionsclosetoactual
productioninultradeepwaterreservoirscanbedeterminedandthepittingsusceptibilityof
differentalloyscanbeevaluated.

Thepurposeofthispaperistopresentthemethodologyandproceduresforusingan
electrochemicaltechnique,specificallycyclicpolarization,toevaluatepittingtendencyofCRAs
atextremetemperatureandsalinityconditions.Thefocusofthispaperisoninvestigatingthe
feasibilityandreliabilityofthepresentedmethodasastandardizedprocedureorprotocolfor
bothlaboratorystudyandindustrialpracticeofalloysatextremetestconditions.Thework
presentedisagoodstartingpointforfurtherdevelopmentoftestmethodsandresearchon
corrosionandcorrosioninhibitionatextremeconditions,typicalofultradeepwaterGulfof
Mexicowells.

2015 by NACE International. Requests for permission to publish this manuscript in any form, in part or in whole, must be in writing to
NACE International, Publications Division, 15835 Park Ten Place, Houston, Texas 77084. The material presented and the views expressed in
this paper are solely those of the author(s) and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association.
2
Experimental

Specimen

Fivedifferentalloyswereusedinthisstudy.Thelistofalloyswasselectedbasedon
recommendationsfromindustrialadvisorymembers,includingrepresentativesfromworldwide
productionandservicecompanies.Thealloysrepresentawiderangeofcategoriesandgrades
withadistinctsetofgeneralproperties.Chemicalcompositionofthosealloyswasprovidedby
thevendor,METALSAMPLESCompany,andislistedinTable1.Forpittingcorrosionevaluation
byelectrochemicalmeasurements,theworkingelectrodeshadasurfaceareaof4.4cm2.Allthe
specimenswererinsedwithisopropanolandairdriedbeforetheexperiment.

Table1.Testmaterialandalloycomposition

Name SS2750 718 825 G3 SS316


UNS SUNSS32750 N07718 N08825 N06985 S31603
Duplex NiCr
Description NiCrAlloy NiCrAlloy Stainless
Stainless Alloy
Al 0.57 0.1
B 0.001
C 0.017 0.03 0.02 0.003 0.021
Ca
Co 0.14 1.69
Cr 25.75 18.54 22.2 22.27 16.72
Cu 0.17 0.2 2 1.87
Fe 62.24 17.57 31 19.07 68.8086
Mn 0.58 0.15 0.5 0.8 1.89
Mo 3.77 2.97 3.3 6.96 2.03
N 0.278 0.005
Nb/Nb+Ta 5.29 0.31
Ni 6.884 53.38 39.2 64.441 10.06
P 0.021 0.008 0.007 0.03
S 0.0008 0.0004 0.002 0.0004
Si 0.29 0.11 0.3 0.5 0.39
Sn
Ti 1.01 0.8
V
W 1.15
PREN 41.508 35.385 32.1 45.34 22.89


Testsolution

2015 by NACE International. Requests for permission to publish this manuscript in any form, in part or in whole, must be in writing to
NACE International, Publications Division, 15835 Park Ten Place, Houston, Texas 77084. The material presented and the views expressed in
this paper are solely those of the author(s) and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association.
3
BrinesolutionsforallthecorrosionexperimentsweremadebydissolvingNaCl(A.C.S.reagent
grade,FisherChemical)indistilledanddeionizedwater.ThepHofthetestsolutionwas
adjustedto5.0byadding1MNaHCO3(A.C.S.reagentgrade,FisherChemical).

Autoclavesetup

Oneofthemajorchallengesinstudyingcorrosionandinhibitionatextremepressure,
temperatureandsalinityconditionsisthelimitationofexperimentalapparatus.Toovercome
thedifficulties,ahighlycustomizedautoclavereactormadeofHastelloy1C 276(UNSN10276)
wasmanufacturedforthesecorrosionstudies[1].Acontrollerwasconnectedtothereactorto
enableinsitucontrolling,monitoring,andrecordingofthemixingconditions,temperatureand
pressureinsidethereactor.

Electrochemicalmeasurementprocedure

Allexperimentswerecarriedoutusingatraditionalthreeelectrodecell.Theprobebodiesare
allmadeofUNSN10276.Steelcouponsforelectrochemicalmeasurementswerespotwelded
ontheUNSN10276tipontheworkingelectrodeprobe.Aplatinumtipwasusedasthecounter
electrodeandastandardsaturatedAg/AgClprobewasusedasthereferenceprobe.Allthe
electrochemicalmeasurementsofthecorrosionprocesswereperformedwithapotentiostat.
Theelectrochemicalprobesareratedtooperateattemperatureupto250Candpressureup
to3,000psig.

Thepittingsusceptibilityoffivedifferentalloysathightemperature250Candmoderate
temperature100Cwereevaluatedbyusingcyclicpolarizationtechnique.Thecyclic
polarizationmeasurementswereconductedfollowingASTM/NACEstandardprocedure[16].A
briefdescriptionisgivenbelow:

x Beforeconductingthepolarizationscans,specimenswereimmersedinthe
testingsolutionintheautoclavefor20hoursforstabilizationattheopencircuitpotential(OCP).
x OncetheOCPwasstabilizedthecyclicpolarizationscanwasstartedwithan
anodic(forwarding)scanrateof0.6V/hourstartingfromtheopencircuitpotential.Thescan
reversed,i.e.,cathodicallypolarized,backtowardstheopencircuitpotential;wheneitherthe
wateroxidationpotentialwasreachedorthemeasuredcurrentexceeded1mA/cm2.

Fromthecyclicpolarization,characteristicpotentialssuchascorrosionpotentiali.e.open
circuitpotential(OCP),pittingpotentialandrepassivationpotential(sometimescalled
protectionpotential[8])ofeachalloywereidentifiedatdifferenttemperatureandsalinity
conditions.Therepassivationpotentialcanbedefinedindifferentways.Itcanbedefinedas
thepotentialatwhichtheanodicforwardandreversescanintersects.Itcanalsobedefinedas
thepotentialatwhichthecurrentdensityreachesitslowestreadablevalueonthereverse



Tradename

2015 by NACE International. Requests for permission to publish this manuscript in any form, in part or in whole, must be in writing to
NACE International, Publications Division, 15835 Park Ten Place, Houston, Texas 77084. The material presented and the views expressed in
this paper are solely those of the author(s) and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association.
4
portionofthepolarizationscans[9].Inthiswork,theformerdefinitionwaschosenforallthe
cyclicscananalysis.

AsoutlinedinNACE/ASTMstandardG61[16],incyclicpolarizationscanning,thepotentialis
scannedfromopencircuitpotentialandthecurrentismonitoreduntilasustained/sharp
increase;abovethatofthepassivecurrentisobtained.Thescanthenreturnsfromasetvalue
backtoopencircuitpotential.Reliabledeterminationofthecharacteristicpotentialssuchas
pittingpotential,repassivationpotentialandothersplacesbigchallengesandprovidesinsights
forthepittingevaluationoftheCRAsatconditionsclosetoactualserviceinultradeepwater
reservoirs.

Results

Tostudythepittingsusceptibilityofcorrosionresistantalloys,asafirstevaluation,PRENwas
calculatedandcompared.Figure1showsthePRENofthefivealloys.

Figure1.ComparisonofPRENfordifferentalloys

50
40
30
PREN

20
10
0
SS2507 718 825 G3 SS316L


Fromthisfirstestimation,SS2507(UNSS32750)andG3(UNSN06985)shouldhavethebest
pittingresistanceamongthefivealloys,whileSS316L(UNSS31603)istheworst.However,at
extremetemperatureandsalinityconditionsaspresentedinthiswork,PRENalonemaynot
giveanaccuratepredictionandexperimentalstudiesneedtobeconductedtoevaluatethe
materialsperformance.

Figure2showsthecyclicpolarizationcurveforSS316L(UNSS31603)afterithasbeen
immersedfor20hoursina3MNaClsolutionwith0.05MdissolvedCO2at250C.Several
featurescanbeobtainedfromthepolarizationscan,asindicatedinthefigure.Itcanbeseen
that316L(UNSS31603)hasanopencircuitpotentialof0.495Vatthis250Ccondition.During
thecyclicpolarizationprocess,itwentthroughactivecorrosionfirst,wherethecorrosion
currentdensityincreaseswithincreasingpotential,untilitreachedapoint,asindicatedinthe
figureActivepassivetransition.Fromthispointon,thesteelbecamepassive,asindicatedby
nochangeincorrosioncurrentwithincreasingpotential.Thepolarizationwascontinueduntil

2015 by NACE International. Requests for permission to publish this manuscript in any form, in part or in whole, must be in writing to
NACE International, Publications Division, 15835 Park Ten Place, Houston, Texas 77084. The material presented and the views expressed in
this paper are solely those of the author(s) and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association.
5
thepotentialreached0.257V,afterwhich,thecorrosioncurrentincreasedabruptlyagain,
indicatingthebreakdownordissolutionofthepassivation.Theforwardpolarizationcontinued
untilthe1mA/cm2limitwasreached,wherethepolarizationstartedgoingbackwardtowards
opencircuitpotential.Duringthebackwardscanattheend,thepotentialwheretheforward
andbackwardpolarizationcurvesmeetiscalledrepassivationpotentialinthiswork.Thevalue
oftherepassivationpotentialanditsvaluetowardstheopencircuitpotentialarealso
characteristicfeaturesthatcanbeusedtoevaluatethematerialslocalizedcorrosionresistance.
However,therepassivationpotentialdoesnotnecessarilyappearineverypolarizationcurve.It
dependsonthematerialpropertiesandexperimentalconditions.Attheendofthepolarization,
itcanalsoobservedthatthefinalpotentialdidnotreachtotheoriginalopencircuitpotential
butstabilizedatapotentialmorepositivethantheoriginalopencircuitpotential.Thisindicates
thesteelwentthroughananodiccathodictransitionprocess.Thewholecyclicpolarization
curveshowspositivehysteresiswhichindicatesthegoodpittingresistanceof316L(UNS
S31603)atthesetestconditions.


0.1
316L_250C_3M Pittingpotential
(E_pit)
Potentialvs.saturatedAg/AgCl/V

0.2

Repassivationpotentail
0.3 (protectionpotential)
Anodic cathodic
transitionpotential
0.4
Activepassivetransition
("Anodicnose")
0.5
corrosionpotential
(OCP)
0.6
0.00001 0.0001 0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10 100
Currentdensity/A/m2


Figure2.CyclicpolarizationscanforSS316Lafteritwasimmersedina3MNaClsolution
with0.05MdissolvedCO2at250Cfor20hours.

Experimentswereconductedwithallfiveselectedalloysatdifferenttestconditions,following
thesameprocedureasdescribedabovefor316L(UNSS31603).However,notallthealloys
showedallthefeaturesintheircyclicpolarizationcurves.Figure3showsanexamplewhere
onlysomeofthefeaturescanbeobserved.ThecyclicpolarizationcurveshowninFigure3was
obtainedafter20hoursimmersionofG3(UNSN06985)ina3MNaClsolutionwith0.05M

2015 by NACE International. Requests for permission to publish this manuscript in any form, in part or in whole, must be in writing to
NACE International, Publications Division, 15835 Park Ten Place, Houston, Texas 77084. The material presented and the views expressed in
this paper are solely those of the author(s) and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association.
6
dissolvedCO2at250C.ItcanbeseenthattheG3(UNSN06985)hasanopencircuitpotential
of0.44V,similarto316L(UNSS31603).Italsohasapassivationregionduringtheforwardscan.
Thepittingpotentialwas0.195V.Thebackwardscanshowsanegativehysteresisoftheloop
atpotentialsmorepositivethanpittingpotential,andtherepassivationpotentialwasfoundto
bemorenegativethanthepittingpotentialofabout25mV.Atpotentialsmorenegativethan
thisrepassivationpotential,thescanloophysteresisispositive.Pittingpotential,repassivation
potentialandthedifferenceofthepotentialversusopencircuitvaluesareimportantfeatures
forpittingsusceptibilityevaluation.
0.1

Pittingpotential
(E_pit)
PotentialvssaturatedAg/AgCl/V

0.2

Repassivationpotential
(E_repassivation)
0.3

0.4

Corrosion potential G3_250C_3M


(OCP)
0.5
0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10
Currentdensity/A/m2


Figure3.CyclicpolarizationscanforG3(UNSN06985)afteritwasimmersedina3MNaCl
solutionwith0.05MdissolvedCO2at250Cfor20hours.

Pittingpotentialisoneoftheimportantfeaturesthatcanbeobtainedfromcyclicpolarization
scanning.Figure4isthepittingpotentialofthefivealloysobtainedat250Cwithtwodifferent
saltconcentrations.Itcanbeseenthatinahighersaltconcentration,at250C,thepitting
potentialwasmorenegativethaninthelowersaltconcentrationsolution,forallalloysexcept
for718(UNSN07718).At250C,thesaltconcentrationhadnoeffectonthepittingpotentialof
G3(UNSN06985)alloy.For718(UNSN07718),morenoblepittingpotentialwasobservedat3
Msaltconcentration.ForSS316L(UNSS31603),SS2507(UNSS32750)and825(UNSN08825),
theeffectwasopposite:thepittingpotentialwaslessnoblewithhighsaltconcentration,while
825hadthelowestpittingpotential.

2015 by NACE International. Requests for permission to publish this manuscript in any form, in part or in whole, must be in writing to
NACE International, Publications Division, 15835 Park Ten Place, Houston, Texas 77084. The material presented and the views expressed in
this paper are solely those of the author(s) and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association.
7
0 250C,1MNaCl

Pittingpotentialvs.saturated
250C,3MNaCl

0.1
Ag/Agcl/V

0.2

0.3
SS316L G3 SS2507 I825 I718 

Figure4.Comparisonofpittingpotentialofdifferentalloysat250Catdifferentsalt
concentrations.

Fromcyclicpolarization,thetendencyofpittingcorrosionofeachalloycanbeevaluated.Figure
5showsthecyclicpolarizationcurveof825(UNSN08825)at250Cina3MNaClsolutionwith
0.05MdissolvedCO2.Thepolarizationcurveshowsanegativehysteresiswhichindicatesat
thistestcondition,825(UNSN08825)issuspectedtohavepittingcorrosion.Cyclicpolarization
measurementisabletotellifpittingispossible,however,itcannottellwhenandwherewillbe
pittingoccur.Corrosiontestatdifferentexposuretimeisneededtoestimatetheappearanceof
pittingandalsosteelsurfaceanalysissuchasVSIisrequiredtoverifythepittingrateand
locations.Athreeweekexposureexperimentwasperformedwith825(UNSN08825),at
conditionsasusedforcyclicpolarization.Figure6showstheimageofthetestcouponscanned
byawhitelightinterferometryafterthethreeweekexperiment.Theuseofwhitelight
interferometrywasfoundtobeverypowerfulforbothlocalizedanduniformcorrosionanalysis
ofCRAs[15].Theuniformcorrosionrateofthecouponsfromthisexperimentwas0.0040.001
mm/yr,calculatedfromboththeweightlossmethodandwhitelightinterferometryanalysis.
Theuniformcorrosionrateisequivalenttoa0.200.01mthicknessofthemetalloss.
However,asshowninFigure6,pitswerefoundonthesteelsurfaceaslargeas37mdeep.Itis
clearlyshownthatuniformcorrosionisnotanissueforcorrosionresistantalloy825(UNS
N08825),butlocalizedpittingcorrosionisverysignificantatthetestconditionsdiscussedhere.

2015 by NACE International. Requests for permission to publish this manuscript in any form, in part or in whole, must be in writing to
NACE International, Publications Division, 15835 Park Ten Place, Houston, Texas 77084. The material presented and the views expressed in
this paper are solely those of the author(s) and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association.
8
0.10

0.15 I825_250C_3MNaCl

Potentialvs.saturatedAg/AgCl/V
0.20

0.25

0.30

0.35

0.40

0.45

0.50
0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10 100
Currentdensity/A/m2


Figure5.Cyclicpolarizationscanfor825(UNSN08825)afteritwasimmersedina3MNaCl
solutionwith0.05MdissolvedCO2at250Cfor20hours.

37.0 um


Figure6.TwodimensionalandYprofilegraphsof825surfaceshowinglocalizedpitting
corrosionafter3weekexposuretoa3MNaClsolutionsaturatedwith0.05MdissolvedCO2
at250C.

Atthelowertemperature,100C,theeffectofsaltonpittingpotentialwasthesameas
observedat250Cforallthealloysexceptfor718(UNSN07715),wherehighersalt
concentrationleadstoalessnoblepittingpotential,asseeninFigure7.ForSS316L(UNS

2015 by NACE International. Requests for permission to publish this manuscript in any form, in part or in whole, must be in writing to
NACE International, Publications Division, 15835 Park Ten Place, Houston, Texas 77084. The material presented and the views expressed in
this paper are solely those of the author(s) and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association.
9
S31603),however,nopassivationregionwasobservedonthecyclicpolarizationcurveatboth
saltconcentrationsstudied.Thepolarizationshowedactivecorrosionduringtheentireforward
scanning,asshowninFigure8.

0.1 100C,1MNaCl
Pittingpotentialvs.saturated

100C,3MNaCl

0
Ag/Agcl/V

0.1

0.2
SS316L SSG3 SS2507 I825 I718


Figure7.Comparisonofpittingpotentialofdifferentalloysat100Catdifferentsalt
concentrations.

0.1

0.12 316L_100C_3M
Potentialvs.saturatedAg/AgCl/V

0.14

0.16

0.18

0.2

0.22

0.24

0.26

0.28
0.0001 0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10 100
Currentdensity/mA/cm2

Figure8.CyclicpolarizationscanforSS316L(UNSS31603)afteritwasimmersedina3M
NaClsolutionwith0.05MdissolvedCO2at250Cfor20hours.

Asmentionedbefore,thedifferencebetweenpittingpotentialandopencircuitpotentialis
importanttocharacterizeanalloyintermsoflocalizedcorrosion.Thedifferencebetween

2015 by NACE International. Requests for permission to publish this manuscript in any form, in part or in whole, must be in writing to
NACE International, Publications Division, 15835 Park Ten Place, Houston, Texas 77084. The material presented and the views expressed in
this paper are solely those of the author(s) and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association.
10
pittingpotentialandtheOCPisdenotedinthispaperaspittingdrivingforce,Epit.Thelarger
theEpit,theharder(ormoreforcerequired)itistobreakdownordissolvethepassivefilm
thatformsonthesteelsurface;therefore,thebetterthematerialsresistanceistopitting.
Figure9showsthevaluesofEpitforallalloysat250C.AllthealloysshowedlargerEpitat
lowersaltconcentrationat250C.825(UNSN08825)showedthelargestamongallin1MNaCl
solution,whileina3MNaClsolution,G3(UNSN06985),SS2507(UNSS32750)and825(UNS
N08825)hadthesameEpit.

0.5 250C,1MNaCl
250C,3MNaCl
Potentialdifferencebetween

0.4
pittingandOCP/V

0.3

0.2

0.1

0
SS316L G3 SS2507 I825 I718


Figure9.Comparisonofpassivationforceofdifferentalloysat250Catdifferentsalt
concentrations.

Figure10showstheresultsobtainedat100C.Noeffectoftemperaturecanbeobservedfor
718(UNSN07718),atbothsaltconcentrations.ForG3(UNSN06985)and825(UNSN08825),at
3MNaClcondition,theEpitwasnotaffectedbytemperature;however,atlowersalt
concentration,thepassivationdrivingforcewasabout100mVlowerthanthatat250C.The
resultsindicatethatat250C,thepassivationofG3(UNSN06985)and825(UNSN08825)is
morestable,sinceitrequiredmorepotentialtobreakdownordissolvethepassivefilms.

Itiscommontointerpretthatanalloywillhavegoodlocalizedcorrosionresistanceifits
repassivationpotentialismoreanodic(noble)thanitscorrosionpotential,i.e.OCP[9].An
examplewasshownearlierinFigure3.Theloopshowsanegativehysteresisatpotentialslower
thantherepassivationpotential.However,therepassivationpotentialvalueisveryclosetothe
pittingpotentialandabout200mVnoblerthantheopencircuitpotential.Therefore,even
thoughthepolarizationscanshowssomehysteresis,thealloyisconsideredtobeabletoresist
pittingforalloyG3(UNSN06985)atthis250Ccondition.Also,althoughtherepassivation
potentialvaluesthemselvesareimportant,theirrelativevaluestothecorrosionpotential(OCP)
areevenmoreimportant.ThedifferenceoftherepassivationpotentialandtheOCPisdenoted

2015 by NACE International. Requests for permission to publish this manuscript in any form, in part or in whole, must be in writing to
NACE International, Publications Division, 15835 Park Ten Place, Houston, Texas 77084. The material presented and the views expressed in
this paper are solely those of the author(s) and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association.
11
asErep.AlargerErepmeansitiseasiertorepassivateduringthereversepolarization;
therefore,thematerialcanbetterresistpitting.

0.4 100C,1MNaCl
100C,3MNaCl

Potentialdifferencebetween 0.3
pittingandOCP/V

0.2

0.1

0
SS316L SSG3 SS2507 I825 I718



Figure10.Comparisonofpassivationforceofdifferentalloysat100Catdifferentsalt
concentration.

TheelectrochemicalmeasurementofthecorrosionprocessofCRAswassuccessfullycarried
outatextremetemperature(250C)andsalinity(3MNaCl)conditions,aspresentedinthis
paper.Thefeasibilityoftheexperimentalsetupandproceduresdevelopedforcorrosion
investigationofCRAsatsuchharsh,extremeconditionswasshown.Theparametersusedfor
thecyclicpolarizationmeasurementatextremeconditionsweresetfollowingASTM/NACE
StandardG61,althoughthisstandardwasdesignedforlowtemperatureconditions,aswellas
forcertaintypesofalloys(iron,nickelorcobaltbasedalloys).Duringthepolarization
measurementfollowingthisavailablestandard,itwasfoundthatinsomecasesasecondary
passivationwasobserved.AsanexampleshowninFigure11,foralloySS2507(UNSS32750)at
100Candat3MNaClcondition,thepolarizationcurvesshowedtwopassivationregions:one
atpotentialrange0.3Vto0.2V,andtheotheroneatpotentialrange0.1Vto0V.The
appearanceofasecondarypassivationindicatesthatmodificationofthepolarization
measurementsetupandproceduresareneededtobetterevaluatethepittingsusceptibilityof
thisparticularalloyattheseexperimentalconditions.Forexample,itisverylikelythatinthe
caseof825(UNSN08825),anickelbasedalloywith22%chromium,atlessnoble(positive)
potentialrangesduringtheforwardpolarization,Cr3+oxidationwillbeformedfirst.Thenthis
Cr3+oxidepassivefilmstransitionsintotheCr(VI)oxidationregion,wherethesolublespecies
Cr(VI)speciesarethermodynamicallyfavored.Asaresultofthisfinding,futureresearchwillbe
carriedouttodevelopareliablepolarizationmeasurementstandardsuitableforextremetest
conditionsaswellasfordifferentcategoriesofalloys.

2015 by NACE International. Requests for permission to publish this manuscript in any form, in part or in whole, must be in writing to
NACE International, Publications Division, 15835 Park Ten Place, Houston, Texas 77084. The material presented and the views expressed in
this paper are solely those of the author(s) and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association.
12
0.2

0.1
Potentialvs.saturatedAg/AgCl/V

0.1

0.2

0.3
2507_100C_1M
2507_100C_3M
0.4
1.0E05 1.0E04 1.0E03 1.0E02 1.0E01 1.0E+00 1.0E+01 1.0E+02
Currentdensity/A/m2


Figure11.CyclicpolarizationscanforSS2507(UNSS32750)afteritwasimmersedina3M
NaClsolutionwith0.05MdissolvedCO2at100Cfor20hours.

Conclusions

x Cyclicpolarizationmeasurementswereconductedsuccessfullyatextreme
temperature250Candextremesalinity3MNaClconditionswithfivedifferentalloysincluding
stainlesssteelandInconelalloy.
x Corrosionpotentials(i.e.,opencircuitpotential),pittingpotential,and
repassivationpotentialsofthefivedifferentalloyswereevaluated.Allofthealloysshowed
morenegativecorrosionpotentialat250Cthanat100C.Thesaltconcentrationhaslarger
effectonthecorrosionpotentialonthealloysat100Cbutlittleat250C.
x Ingeneral,thepittingdrivingforceEpit,i.e.,thedifferencebetweenpitting
potentialandcorrosionpotential,islargerat250Cthanat100Cforallthealloysevaluated,
whichsuggestsbetterpassivationpropertiesandpittingresistanceofthesealloysat250C.
x ThePRENshouldnotbeusedastheonlycriteriatorankthealloysresistanceto
localizedcorrosionatextremeconditions;electrochemicalmeasurementsarealsorequired.
x Themicrostructureofdifferentalloysisnotdiscussedinthisworkbutshouldbe
(andwillbe)consideredtofullyunderstandthelocalizedcorrosionprocessofCRAsatextreme
conditionsinthefuture.
x AccurateevaluationofCRAsresistancetolocalizedcorrosionatextreme
conditionsfromelectrochemicalmeasurementalsorequiresreliablemeasurementparameter
settings,whichwillbefurtherinvestigatedaswell.

2015 by NACE International. Requests for permission to publish this manuscript in any form, in part or in whole, must be in writing to
NACE International, Publications Division, 15835 Park Ten Place, Houston, Texas 77084. The material presented and the views expressed in
this paper are solely those of the author(s) and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association.
13
Acknowledgements

FundingfortheprojectsisprovidedthroughtheUltraDeepwaterandUnconventionalNatural
GasandOtherPetroleumResourcesResearchandDevelopmentProgramauthorizedbythe
EnergyPolicyActof2005.Thisprogramfundedfromleasebonusesandroyaltiespaidby
industrytoproduceoilandgasonfederallandsisdesignedtoassessandmitigaterisk
enhancingtheenvironmentalsustainabilityofoilandgasexplorationandproductionactivities.
ResearchPartnershiptoSecureEnergyforAmericaisundercontractwiththeU.S.Department
ofEnergysNationalEnergyTechnologyLaboratorytoadministerthreeareasofresearch.
ResearchPartnershiptoSecureEnergyforAmericaisa501(c)(3)nonprofitconsortiumwith
morethan180members,including24ofthenation'spremierresearchuniversities,five
nationallaboratories,othermajorresearchinstitutions,largeandsmallenergyproducersand
energyconsumers.ThemissionofResearchPartnershiptoSecureEnergyforAmerica,
headquarteredinSugarLand,Texas,istoprovideastewardshiproleinensuringthefocused
research,developmentanddeploymentofsafeandenvironmentallyresponsibletechnology
thatcaneffectivelydeliverhydrocarbonsfromdomesticresourcestothecitizensoftheUnited
States.Additionalinformationcanbefoundatwww.rpsea.org.TheadvicefromProf.MasonB.
Tomson,CivilandEnvironmentalEngineeringdepartmentatRiceUniversity,ontheconductof
thisresearchisgratefullyacknowledged.

Reference

1. M.Tomson,etal.,RPSEAPhaseIFinalReport,10121420401.Corrosionandscaleat
extremetemperatureandpressure,2013.http://www/.rpsea.org/files/3173/
2. ASTMG4511:Standardtestmethodsforpittingandcrevicecorrosionresistanceof
stainlesssteelsandrelatedalloysbyuseofferricchloridesolution,2012.
3. M.N.Rao,Pittingcorrosionofsheetsofanickelbasesuperalloy,MaterialsandCorrosion
60(2009)4952.
4. Uhligscorrosionhandbook,3rded.,byR.WinstonReview,Wiley,2011.
5. H.Hinds,L/Wickstrom,J.Abda,A.Turnbull,V.SmithandR.Woollam,Novelmethodfor
determinationofpittingsusceptibilityinaggressiveenvironmentsatelevatedtemperature
andpressure,CorrosionScience,articleinpress,2014.
6. M.C.Pardo,M.Merino,A.E.Carboneras,R.Coy,Arrabal,Pittingcorrosionbehaviorof
austeniticstainlesssteelswithCuandSnadditions,CorrosionScience,49(2007),510525.
7. A.U.Malik,N.A.Siddiqi,S.AhmadandI.N.Andijani,theeffectofdominantalloyadditions
onthecorrosionbehaviorofsomeconventionalandhighalloystainlesssteelsinseawater,
CorrosionScience37(1995),no.10,pp.15211535.
8. L.L.Machuca,S.I.Bailey,R.Gubner,Systematicstudyofthecorrosionpropertiesof
selectedhighresistancealloysinnaturalseawater,CorrosionScience,64(2012)816.
9. D.C.Silverman,TutorialoncyclicPotentiodynamicpolarizationtechnique,in:Corrosion/98,
NACEInternational,1998.

2015 by NACE International. Requests for permission to publish this manuscript in any form, in part or in whole, must be in writing to
NACE International, Publications Division, 15835 Park Ten Place, Houston, Texas 77084. The material presented and the views expressed in
this paper are solely those of the author(s) and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association.
14
10.D.Han,Y.Jiang,C.Shi,Z.Li,J.Li,Influenceofmicrostructureandalloyingelementonthe
polarizationbehaviorwithinthecreviceofUNSS32304duplexstainlesssteel,Corrosion
Science53(2011)37963804.
11.G.Mori,D.Bauernfeind,Pittingandcrevicecorrosionofsuperasteniticstainlesssteels,
Materialsandcorrosion55(2004)164173.
12.G.Song,TranpassivationofFeCrNistainlesssteels,CorrosionScience47(2005)1953
1987.
13.M.F.Montemor,M.G.S.Ferreira,N.E.Hakiki,M.D.C.Belo,Chemicalcompositionand
electronicstructureoftheoxidefilmsformedon316Lstainlesssteelandnickebasedalloys
inhightemperatureaqueousenvironment,CorrosionScience42(2000)16351650.
14.A.Anderko,N.Sridhar,D.S.Dunn,Ageneralmodelfortherepassivationpotentialasa
functionofmultipleaqueoussolutionspecies,CorrosionScience46(2004)15831612B.E.
WildeandE.Williams,ElectrochimicaActa,16(1971),p.1971.
15.J.Huang,P.Guraieb,E.hContreras,C.Yan,M.TomsonandR.Tomson,Corrosionbehavior
ofdeepwateroilproductiontubingmaterialsunderextremelyhightemperatureandhigh
pressure,inCORROSION/2014,paperno.3978,SanAntonio,TX.
16.ASTMStandardG6186,StandardtestmethodforconductingcyclicPotentiodynamic
polarizationmeasurementsforlocalizedcorrosionsusceptibilityofironnickel,orcobalt
basedalloys,AnnualbookofASTMstandards,03.02(Philadelphia,PA,ASTM,1997)
17.E.Q.Contreras,J.Huang,R.S.Posusta,D.K.Sharma,C.Yan,P.Guraieb,M.B.Tomsonand
R.C.Tomson.,OpticalmeasurementofuniformandlocalizedcorrosionofC1018,SS410
andInconel825alloysusingwhitelightinterferometry,CorrosionScience,Vol87,page
383.391(2014),

2015 by NACE International. Requests for permission to publish this manuscript in any form, in part or in whole, must be in writing to
NACE International, Publications Division, 15835 Park Ten Place, Houston, Texas 77084. The material presented and the views expressed in
this paper are solely those of the author(s) and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association.
15

You might also like