Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Chloride-induced corrosion is not bulk corrosion. We are all familiar with one of the most common forms of bulk corrosion: rust. When iron rusts, the attack is fairly uniform over the surface exposed to the corrosive environment.
Chloride attack of stainless steel is exactly the opposite crevices and pits form and grow perpendicularly to the surface being attacked, rather than spreading out evenly as rust does. Some areas may appear essentially untouched by
the corrosion, while others will be severely attacked. This means that thicker tubes and pipes will not necessarily last much longer than thin ones before failing due to chloride induced corrosion.
Stainless steels have excellent corrosion resistance. Water supplies will usually have chlorine or hydrochloric acid added to prevent bacterial growth, it is important to use a material that will resist corrosion by such harsh chemicals.
316 stainless is highly effective in resisting this corrosion.
Stainless steel dissolves very slowly in water, even “RO” (reverse osmosis) water, so only a very small amount of chemical compound elements are added to the water. Using plastic, copper, or iron allows all kinds of unknowns to be
added to the water. Plasticiser, from certain plastics, can be leached into the water system, especially when aggressive RO water is used.
Stainless steel is a very clean material and can be sanitised easily. If dead spaces are minimized and surfaces polished to eliminate crevices and pits, bacteria growth is minimized. This is especially true when the piping system is
flushed or has continuous water circulation at velocities high enough to cause turbulent flow. Turbulent flow is important because the turbulence creates a scouring of the pipe surface. Low flow or laminar flow leaves a stagnant film of
water next to the pipe surface and a biofilm can form.
Since corrosion resistance is a primary reason for the use of stainless steels, a basic understanding of the types of corrosion and how they occur is important.
Definition:
Corrosion is the degradation of a metal by its environment--it literally means to "gnaw away". Most metals do not exist as a solid metal piece of material. In their natural state, they exist in the form of oxides. These metal oxides (or
other metal compounds) must be refined to create the pure metals or alloys which become useful structural materials that can be used to build things.
Pure metals and alloys have a much higher energy state and there is a natural tendency to return to their lower energy state. Corrosion is the process nature uses to return metals to their original state. The rate of corrosion depends
upon the environment and the type of material. It can be very rapid in a highly corrosive environment or take thousands of years in a slightly corrosive environment.
Corrosion, whether in the atmosphere, underwater, or underground, is caused by the flow of electricity from one metal to another metal, or from one part of the surface of a piece of metal to another part of the same metal where
conditions permit the flow of electricity. For this to occur there must be a moist conductor or electrolyte present for the flow of energy to take place.
Different types:
There are many types of corrosion that can affect metals. They include:
general, electrochemical, galvanic, pitting, crevice, impingement, erosion, stress, biological, and intergranular.
galvanic / electrochemical
pitting and crevice
intergranular
biological
Galvanic/Electrochemical:
The diagram below illustrates a cell showing the corrosion process in its simplest form. This cell includes the following essential components.
A metal anode
A metal cathode
A metallic conductor between the anode and the cathode
An electrolyte in contact with the anode and cathode, but not necessarily of the same composition at the two locations.
The metals below are arranged according to their tendency to corrode galvanically. Metals with negative voltage charges (anodic–least noble) are listed first, followed by metals with positive charges (cathodic–more noble).
CORRODED END
(anodic, or least noble)
Zinc
Cadmium
Aluminium 2017
Chromium-iron (active)
Ni-Resist irons
Nickel (active)
Inconel (active)
Hastelloy C (active)
Silver Solder
Chromium-iron (passive)
Titanium
18-8 Chromium-nickel-iron (passive)
18-8-3 Cr-Ni-Mo-Fe (passive)
Hastelloy C (passive)
Silver
Graphite
Gold
Platinum
An oxygen concentration cell may also form if there is a depletion of oxygen in the dead space in the lap joint. If the material is stainless steel and there are high levels of chlorine in the water, the chlorine will attack metal in the dead
space between the two pieces of metal, breaking down the passive film.
Since there isn't any oxygen available to regenerate the passive film, the stainless becomes active (anodic) in this cell and the rest of the stainless stays passive (cathodic) because the passive film remains intact. With this lap joint in
water (electrolyte) conditions are right for current to flow and corrosion occurs in the crevices formed in the lap joint.
Concentration cells can form in any crevice in watering systems and corrosion is more likely to occur with the use of chlorine or hydrochloric acid. Corrosion may be accelerated if there are large amounts of organic material and very
low levels of oxygen in the water along with the use of chlorine. Oxygen is necessary to maintain the passive film.
Edstrom Industries uses 316 stainless steel to prevent pitting problems due to the use of chlorine. The molybdenum in 316 helps to stabilize the passive film, although excessive levels of chlorine will corrode even 316 stainless steel.
Intergranular:
This type of corrosion may occur next to a weld if the carbon content of the stainless steel is too high. When stainless steel is welded, material next to the weld reaches a temperature of only 800° to 1500°F. At these temperatures, the
chromium and carbon form chromium carbides. Chromium carbides deplete the chromium at the weld interface and sensitise the material, making it subject to corrosion.
If a weld interface is deficient, it cannot maintain the passive film. This area becomes anodic, while the rest of the material is cathodic. When the material is in water or moist air (the electrolyte), current will flow, resulting in corrosion
(rusting) at the weld interface. By reducing the carbon content, we can prevent carbides from forming. For this reason, Edstrom Industries uses 316L or 304L stainless steel when welding to avoid intergranular corrosion.
Biological:
When a metallic surface is immersed in water, a biofilm will begin to form if there is any bacteria in the water. A biofilm is a microbial mass composed of aquatic bacteria, algae, or other microorganisms. The biofilm begins when organic
material is absorbed onto the surface of the metal. The flow of water transports microbes to the surface, and the microorganisms attach and then grow, using nutrients from the water.
When the microorganisms grow, oxygen is excluded, which creates a place where the passive film may break down. With the breakdown of the passive film, the site becomes anodic with the likelihood of corrosion. Biofilm formation is
most likely in spots where the flow of water is low, such as voids, crevices, and thread joints.
Steps in biofilm formation. Formation is initiated when small organic molecules become attached to an inert surface
(2). The cells send out hair like exopolymers to feed on organic matter and attach themselves to the surface
©2007
N.E.M Business Solutions Tel / Fax : 01823 680119 Mobile 07768 981196
E-mail neil@nem.org.uk