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EFFECT OF CHLORIDE CONCENTRATION ON THE CORROSION RATE IN CARBON

STEEL

Conference Paper · May 2017

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 EFFECT OF CHLORIDE CONCENTRATION ON THE CORROSION RATE IN CARBON STEEL

Hisham. A. Elfergani* and Ayad. A. Abdalla

Department of Mechanical Eng., University of Benghazi, Benghazi, Libya

* Corresponding author:Hisham.elfergani@uob.edu.ly

ABSTRACT: Carbon steel is among the most common materials used in engineering and industrial applications and
represents about 85% of the annual steel production worldwide. The low corrosion resistance of carbon steel in certain
environments, such as in marine environments, is one of the major problems related to its use. The rate of corrosion of steel
in salt solution depends on the salt concentration and on the amount of dissolved oxygen in the solution. In this paper, an
experimental investigation was performed to study the effect of sodium chloride concentration (NaCl wt%) on the corrosion
rate of carbon steel. Two cases were considered (i) aerated and (ii) non-aerated solutions to study the effect of dissolved
Oxygen. Furthermore, an experiment was carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of the application of cathodic protection
in the maximum corrosion rate conditions. Carbon steel samples of known metallurgical composition were used to perform
the experiments. Samples were divided into groups of three samples each and immersed in solutions of different Chloride
concentration ranged from 2% to 12% (NaCl wt%) in the aerated and non-aerated conditions. Measurements were taken
before and after the experiments and corrosion rate was calculated using mpy units. Results showed that maximum corrosion
rate of steel in non-aerated solution is 2.433 mpy at 3%wt NaCl chloride concentration while for the aerated solution
maximum corrosion rate is 12.892 mpy at (3 % wt NaCl) showing that the existence of dissolved oxygen in the solution
increases the rate of corrosion. Additional experiment was conducted to apply cathodic protection on steel samples using
sacrificial anode (SACP) at the worst condition (the maximum corrosion rate) to inhibit corrosion which indicted that
cathodic protection is very effective to prevent steel corrosion at any chloride concentration.
Keywords: Corrosion, carbon steel, chloride concentration, cathodic protection
projects is significant. The Department of Transport in the
1. Introduction UK for instance estimated the cost associated with repairing
Corrosion can be defined as an electrochemical process that concrete structures damaged due to corrosion by £755
occurs in metals due to environmental conditions in which a million per year (Ann et al., 2009). Corrosion must be given
metal converts into its oxides or other compounds. This is special consideration because, in certain applications,
due to the fact that metal oxides are more stable than metals failure may lead to loss of life in addition to the high
(Fontana 1978). financial cost (Elfergani et al.,2013)
Corrosion of metals is considered to be one of most serious The electrochemical theory of corrosion relates corrosion to
engineering problems facing large sectors of heavy a network of short-circuited galvanic cells on the metal
industrial complexes and civil engineering construction surface. Metal ions go into solution at anodic areas in an
projects jeopardizing their economic and technical amount chemically equivalent to the reaction at cathodic
feasibility via its direct and indirect costs (Elfergani et areas. One of the key factors in any corrosion situation is the
al.,2011) environment. The definition and characteristics of this
For example, The Great Man-Made River Project variable can be quite complex and it is important to realize
(GMMRP) which is one of the major water transport that the environment is a variable that can change with time
projects worldwide has suffered many pipe failures due to and conditions. Although occurs naturally, it is possible to
corrosion. The main reason of these failures is the corrosion induce corrosion artificially using a corrosion cell consists
of the steel wires due to the attack of chloride ions from the of four essential elements: two electrodes (anode and
surrounding soil (Elfergani et al.,2013). The economic cathode), an electrolyte and an electrical connection. The
impact of corrosion problems on industrial and engineering anode is located in the position where corrosion takes place
33 | l c c a - 2
while the cathode is the cell part which is not consumed in
the corrosion process. The electrolyte aqueous environment
provides a path for ionic conduction between the anode and
the cathode. The electrical connection allows the electrons
to be transmitted through it. Figure 1 illustrates a corrosion
cell. (Bradford 1993, Scully1990, Fontana 1978)
Cathode represents the positive terminal of the cell where
reduction takes place and electrons are consumed while
anode is the negative terminal of the cell where electrons are
released and weight loss occurs.
Fig. 1. The Corrosion Cell.
For corrosion to occur there must be an electrolyte (e.g. salt
solution) and a metallic path between the cathode and anode.
In the metallic conductor, 'conventional ' current flows from
cathode (+) to anode (-) which is in fact electrons flowing
from anode (-) to cathode (+). Metals provide a path for the
flow of conventional current which is actually passage of
electrons in the opposite direction. (Zaki A 2006)
The primary process in the corrosion of metals in water is
electrochemical in nature, it is a chemical reaction
accompanied by the passage of an electric current. For this
to take place, a potential difference must exist between one
part of the structure and another. This difference in potential
thus determines the tendency of a material to corrode.
Electrodes might be formed of two different metals or
different areas on the same pieces of metal (Fontana 1978).
Corrosion process is characterized by two reactions, anodic
reaction and cathodic reaction. Anodic reaction is the
oxidation of metal to its ion. Positively charged atoms of
metal leave the solid surface and enter in to solution as ions.
They leave their corresponding negative charges in the form
of electrons, which are able to flow through the metal or any
external electrical conductor to the cathodic area. This
reaction can be written in the general form:
M → M+n + ne .
Cathodic reaction, on the other hand, is the reaction in which
material gaining takes place. The electrons generated by the
formation of metallic ion at the anode pass through the
metallic connection to the surface of the cathode areas
immersed in the electrolyte solution. Electrical balance of
the system is restored by attracting and neutralizing positive
ions such as hydrogen in the electrolyte solution. There exist
34 | l c c a - 2
several type of cathodic reactions the most common of them
are hydrogen evolution and Oxygen reduction while metal
ion reduction and metal deposition are less common
reactions and are most frequently found in chemical process
streams (Fontana 1978).
Most aqueous solutions contain dissolved oxygen as they
come in contact with the atmospheric air which can act as a
cathode reactant. Electrolyte concentration can affect the
solubility of oxygen in water and hence the rate of corrosion
of immersed metals.
The purpose of this paper is to experimentally investigate
the effect of sodium chloride concentration on corrosion of
carbon steel in air–saturated water at room temperature.
2. Experimental procedure
A series of experiments were conducted to investigate the
effect of both chloride concentration and the presence of
dissolved oxygen on corrosion rate and the effectiveness of
cathodic protection.
In the first experiment (Experiment 1) 33 specimens of steel
grade C (5 cm x 4 cm x 0.5 cm) were used. Table 1 shows
the chemical composition of used steel.
Table 1 The chemical composition of grade C steel
Composite % Wt ρ ( g/cc)
Carbon (c) 0.28 2.267
Manganese (Mn) 0.90 5.03
Phosphorus (p) 0.035 1.82
Sulfur (s) 0.045 2
Base metal Iron (Fe) 98.74 7.9
Samples were cleaned and polished until all scales and
deposits are completely removed to metal shine, then
washed with distilled water and finally rinsed with acetone
to dissolve any organic deposits and for easy drying. Each
sample was weighed using an electrical balance with an
accuracy of 0.0001 g (figure 2).
Fig. 2. Electric balance
Samples then divided into eleven groups. Each group was
put in a plastic container containing sodium chloride
solution of specific concentration as shown in figure 3
Concentrations ranged from 1% to 6% chloride with
increment of 0.5%.

Fig. 5. Experiment 2 setup

Fig. 3. Experiment 1 setup: one group of specimens.
3. Results and discussion
Figure 6 shows one group of samples at the end of
At the end of the experiment (After 30 days) the steel
Experiment 1 before and after retrieving them from the salt
samples were removed from the solution, cleaned and
solution. The results of Experiment 1 are summarized in
weighed using the same electrical balance and weight loss
table 4.1. Each sample is weighed before and after the
was calculated in each case. The average weight loss for the
experiment and weight loss is calculated.
three specimens of each group was used to compute the
The average weight loss in mg is calculated for each group
corrosion rate.
of samples by taking the average for its three specimens. The
This experiment was repeated in the conditions of the
average corrosion rate in Mils penetration per year (mpy) is
presence of dissolved oxygen as shown in figure 4 to in
then computed for each group.
investigate its effect on the corrosion rate.
Mpy is the most commonly used to corrosion rate to
expression, where 1 Mil = 0.001 inch , this expression is
readily calculated from the weight loss of the metal sample
during the corrosion test by the formula given below:

Fig. 6. Experiment 1, three samples of carbon steel before

(left) and after (right) retrieving from the chloride solution
Fig. 4. Experiment 1 setup, all samples in aerated conditions (3% Cl).

After finding out the conditions at which maximum

corrosion rate occur from the first experiment, second
experiment (Experiment 2) was setup to investigate the 𝟓𝟑𝟒. 𝑾
𝒎𝒑𝒚 =
effect of applying sacrificial anode cathodic protection. Zinc 𝑫. 𝑨. 𝑻
anode was used to inhibit corrosion of steel samples. Three
steel specimens with dimensions of 4cm × 5cm × 0.5cm Where :
were connected to a zinc anode through insulated copper W = weight loss, mg .
wires as shown in figure 5. Epoxy binding coat was applied D = density of sample, g/cc .
to the junction area to ensure complete insulation from the A = area of sample,in2 .
surrounding wet environment. After 30 days all samples T = exposure time, hr .
were retrieved from the salt solution, wire connections were
removed and samples were cleaned and polished. Samples
are reweighed and weight loss was calculated. Table 2. The Average weight loss and corrosion rate
results for Experiment 1 (non-aerated solution).

35 | l c c a - 2
 It can be seen from figure 8 that corrosion rate increases with
Figures 7 and 8 show the effect of sodium chloride increasing salt concentration until reaching a maximum
concentration on the weight loss and corrosion rate. value of 2.433 mpy at 3 %wt salt concentration and then
decreases gradually.
This behavior can be explained in terms of oxygen solubility
in water and the formation of passive iron oxide film on the
surface of the sample.
Chloride Average 3
Sample Weight Average Average
Area (𝒊𝒏𝟐 ) Weight Loss

Average corrosion rate, mpy

concentratio
No. Loss (g) Area (𝒊𝒏𝟐 ) mpy 2.5
n (mg)
1 0.1698 8.051 2
2% 2 0.1918 7.734 188.1 7.945 2.312
3 0.2027 8.051
1.5
1 0.1912 7.734 1
3% 2 0.2242 7.734 195.3 7.839 2.433
3 0.1706 8.051 0.5
1 0.1962 7.734
4% 2 0.1712 8.051 178.8 7.839 2.228 0
3 0.1691 7.734 0% 2% 4% 6% 8% 10% 12% 14%
1 0.1701 8.051 %wt NaCl concentration
5% 2 0.1679 7.595 165.8 7.840 2.066
3 0.1595 8.051
1 0.1543 8.051
Fig. 8. Average corrosion rate results as a function of NaCl
6% 2 0.1644 7.561 161.5 7.782 2.027 concentration (non-aerated solution).
3 0.166 7.734
1 0.1542 8.051
7% 2 4.2826 7.734 147.4 7.782 1.850
The initial rise occurs as the chloride ions reach the steel
3 0.1407 7.561
1 0.1704 8.051
surface with a concentration sufficient to break down the
8% 2 0.1452 7.734 156.3 8.004 1.907 protective passive film on the steel surface and the presence
3 0.1533 8.227 of sufficient oxygen to sustain the reaction. The corrosion
1 0.1234 7.908 rate is then increases by increasing sodium chloride
9% 2 0.1392 8.227 133.8 8.120 1.609
3 0.139 8.227
concentration. On the other hand, oxygen solubility in water
1 0.1423 7.595 decreases continuously with increasing sodium chloride
10% 2 0.1482 7.734 144.7 7.687 1.838 concentration leading to lower corrosion rates (Weirick
3 0.1437 7.734 1982). The rate of corrosion processes with oxygen
1 0.1314 7.561
depolarization is controlled mostly by the rate of oxygen
11% 2 0.1511 7.561 141.2 7.724 1.785
3 0.3303 8.051
diffusion to the metal surface. In most natural water
1 0.1291 7.734 corrosion processes the step that controls the corrosion rate
12% 138.5 7.676 1.762
2 0.1496 7.561 is the cathodic half reaction of oxygen reduction (Mahato et
240 al. 1980, Moreira et. al. 2004, Cheng and Steward 2004).
This explains the lower corrosion rates at the higher chloride
Average weight loss, mg

200 concentrations.
160 Anodic and cathodic reactions for in the presence of chloride
ions and oxygen in the solution can be represented as
120
follows:
80 Anodic reaction: The metallic Fe is oxidized to form
40
positively charged ferrous ions:
Fe  2Cl -  FeCl 2  2e -  Fe2  2Cl -  2e -
0
0% 2% 4% 6% 8% 10% 12% 14% The net reaction of equation (2.4) is expressed:
%wt NaCl concentration Fe  Fe2  2e -
Cathodic reaction: The free electrons which are released
Fig. 7. Average weight loss results as a function of NaCl
from Anodic reaction react with O2 and H2O to form
concentration (non-aerated solution).
hydroxyl ions as:

36 | l c c a - 2
2H   2e -  H 2 It is obvious from the figures that weight loss and corrosion
rate follow the same trend as for non-aerated conditions. A
maximum corrosion rate of 12.892 mpy occurs at 3% wt
NaCl concentration. These results agree well with the
published data (Elfergani 2013).
(2.6)

O 2  2H 2 O  4e -  4OH- 600

Average weight loss, mg

500
400
300
(2.7) 200
100
These equations show that corrosion rate depends on 0
cathodic and anodic reactions which, in turn, require both 1% 2% 3% 4% 5% 6% 7% 8%
%wt NaCl concentration
oxygen and chloride ions.
Fig. 9. Average weight loss results as a function of NaCl
Similarly, table 3 shows weight loss and corrosion rate concentration (aerated solution)
results for C carbon steel in aerated conditions at NaCl
concentrations ranging from 2% to 7% wt. These results are The presence of dissolved oxygen in the aerated solution
plotted in figures 9 and 10. increases the corrosion rate at the same salt concentration. It
increases the maximum corrosion rate (occurs at 3% wt
Average
Chloride Sampl Weight Average Average NaCl) from 2.433 mpy for non-aerated solution to 12.892
Area (𝒊𝒏𝟐 ) Weight Loss
concentration e No. Loss (g) Area (𝒊𝒏𝟐 ) Mpy mpy for the aerated one.
(mg)
1 0.7098 7.874
14
2% 2 0.3997 7.908 492.3 7.735 12.020
Average corrosion rate, mpy

12
3 0.3675 7.424
1 0.5039 7.595
10

3% 2 0.5621 7.908 535.9 7.851 12.892 8

3 0.5418 8.051
6
1 0.5769 8.051 4
4% 2 0.5769 7.908 499.9 8.003 11.797 2
3 0.4808 8.051 0
1 0.2573 7.908 1% 2% 3% 4% 5% 6% 7% 8%
%wt NaCl concentration
5% 2 0.322 8.051 373.2 7.794 9.044

3 0.1671 7.424
Fig. 10. Average corrosion rate results as a function of
1 0.2265 7.424 NaCl concentration (aerated solution)
6% 2 0.382 7.288 313.8 7.378 8.033

3 0.333 7.424
1 0.2509 7.595

281.1 7.803 6.804

From the above results it can be seen that the maximum
7% 2 0.1848 7.908
corrosion rate occurs in aerated solution at NaCl
3 0.4077 7.908
concentration of 3%. Sacrificial anode cathodic protection
was applied at these conditions to evaluate its effectiveness
Table 3. The Average weight loss and corrosion rate at the worst conditions.
results for Experiment 1 (aerated solution). When there is no imposed electric current through the
anode/cathode circuit, standard electrode potentials are

37 | l c c a - 2
realized on the metal surfaces. Since E ° Zn+2 /Zn = − 0.763 V
and, E ° Fe+2 /Fe= − 0.44 V, the potential difference between
zinc and iron electrodes (E ° = E ° Fe+2 /Fe − E ° Zn+2 /Zn ) is 0.323
V. Zinc acts as the anode and iron as the cathode.
The steel samples were removed from the salt solution,
cleaned and polished then reweighed. Weight loss for the
three samples was found to be negligible indicating that the
applied cathodic protection was successful in preventing
corrosion in carbon steel at the worst conditions.
Elfergani H. A, Pullin R. , Holford K., 2011. Acoustic
Emission Analysis of Prestressed Concrete Structures.
Journal of Physics: Conference Series 305. 2011, 01207.
Elfergani H.A. , Pullin R. , Holford K. 2013. Damage
assessment of corrosion in prestressed concrete by acoustic
emission, Construction & Building Materials Journal.
Fontana M. G. , Corrosion Engineering , McGraw Hill,
Singapore, third Edition, 1978 .

Mahato, B.K., Cha, C.Y. and Shemilt, L.W., 1980. Unsteady

4. Conclusion
Two sets of experiments were conducted in this study to
investigate the process of carbon steel corrosion in salt
solutions. First, the effect of sodium chloride concentration
and dissolved oxygen on the corrosion rate was explored and
worst corrosion conditions were determined. Sacrificial
anode cathodic protection was then applied to prevent steel
corrosion in salt solution at these worst conditions.
The experimental results obtained in this study show that
corrosion rate increases by increasing NaCl concentration to
a maximum value and then decreases gradually. The
presence of dissolved oxygen in the water or salt solution is
found to enhance the corrosion process and increase its rate.
Maximum corrosion rate of steel in sodium chloride occurs
at a concentration of 3 %wt NaCl. The peak vale was found
to be 2.433 mpy in non-aerated salt solution and 12.892 mpy
in the presence of dissolved oxygen.
It was concluded that oxygen or oxygen reduction reaction
is the main cause of corrosion in air-saturated water. The
results show also that carbon steel can be easily protected by
applying cathodic protection technology using zinc
electrode as the sacrificial anode.
state mass transfer coefficients controlling steel pipe
corrosion under isothermal flow conditions. Corrosion
Science, 20(3), pp.421-441.
Moreira, R.M., Franco, C.V., Joia, C.J.B.M., Giordana, S.
and Mattos, O.R., 2004. The effects of temperature and
hydrodynamics on the CO 2 corrosion of 13Cr and
13Cr5Ni2Mo stainless steels in the presence of free acetic
acid. Corrosion Science, 46(12), pp.2987-3003.
Herbert H. Uhlig & R. Winston Revie. , Corrosion and
Corrosion Control An Introduction to Corrosion Science
and Engineering , Canada ,Fourth Edition ,2008 .
Scully J. C. 1990. The Fundamentals of Corrosion. Exeter:
PERGAMON PRESS.
Weirick, L.J., 1982. Effects of oxygen, salt, and pH level on
corrosion rate of drill-stem steel (No. SAND-82-1616).
Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA).
Zaki A. , Corrosion Engineering and Corrosion Control
,Publisher: Elsevier Science & Technology Books , 2006 .

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Bradford, S. A., 1993. Corrosion Control. New York: Van

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Cheng, Y.F. and Steward, F.R., 2004. Corrosion of carbon

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38 | l c c a - 2

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