ENVIRONMENT AND

CORROSION
WHAT ARE WE GOING TO COVER TODAY

1. Definition of Corrosion

2. Types of Corrosion

3. Corrosion Treatment Processes

1. Virtually no practical and engineering material is stable. The rate
of decay varies depending upon the material and its environment.
2. The human system cannot endure
• Temp above 50C or below 20C
• Pressures above or below our atmospheres
• Presence of harmful gases such as CO, H 2S, and H2.
3. Thus, like human system, engineering materials also require
protection like
• coatings, inhibitors, alloy addition, design procedures,
maintenance, inspection and re-furnishing.
 CORROSION
• Corrosion is a natural process, which converts refined metal
to their more stable oxide. It is the gradual destruction of
materials (usually metals) by chemical reaction with their
environment.

• It is an oxidation process. It causes loss of metal.

• Example: Formation of rust on the surface of iron, formation of

green film on the surface of copper.
 EFFECTS OF CORROSION
• Reduces Strength
• Life time is reduced
• Metallic properties are lost
• Wastage of metal
Where Does Corrosion
Occur?

Bolts and Fasteners

Boom Sections
Under Carriage
Electronics
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
Machinery
CORROSION IS A LOT MORE THAN COSMETIC

As it causes:

Maintenance Labor Costs

Equipment Replacement Costs

Critical Down Time

Worker Safety
 FACTORS CAUSING CORROSION
The nature and extent of corrosion depend on the
metal and the environment. The important factors
which may influence the corrosion process are
(i) Nature of the metal
(ii) Environment
(iii) Concentration of electrolyte
(iv) Temperature
(v) Electrode potential and
(vi) Hydrogen over voltage
1. Galvanic or Two-Metal Corrosion
2. Crevice Corrosion
3. Pitting
4. Intergranular (Intercrystalline) corrosion
5. Selective Leaching
6. Erosion Corrosion
7. Stress Corrosion
8. High-temperature corrosion
 GALVANIC OR TWO-METAL CORROSION

• When two dissimilar metals are in direct contact in a

conducting liquid, experience shows that one of the
two may corrode. This is called galvanic corrosion.
The other metal will not corrode, it may even be
protected in this way.
• The zone affected by galvanic corrosion often has a
shinier aspect than the rest of the surface.
 CREVICE CORROSION

• Crevice corrosion is a form of corrosion usually associated

with a stagnant solution on the micro-environmental level.
Such stagnant microenvironments tend to occur in crevices
(shielded areas) such as those formed under gaskets,
washers, insulation material, fastener heads, surface
deposits, dis-bonded coatings, threads, lap joints and
clamps. Crevice corrosion is initiated by changes in local
chemistry within the crevice
• This type of corrosion is also known as deposit attack.
 PITTING

• This localized form of corrosion is characterized by the

formation of irregularly shaped cavities on the surface of
the metal. Their diameter and depth depend on several
parameters related to the metal, the medium and service
conditions.

• The intensity and rate of pitting corrosion can be assessed

neither by determining the mass loss nor by measuring
released hydrogen.
 INTERGRANULAR CORROSION

• Intergranular corrosion is a chemical or

electrochemical attack on the grain
boundaries of a metal. This often occurs due
to impurities in the metal, which tend to be
present in higher contents near grain
boundaries. These boundaries can be more
vulnerable to corrosion than the bulk of the
metal.
 SELECTIVE LEACHING

Selective leaching is a corrosion process in

which one constituent of an alloy is
preferentially dissolved by the environment,
leaving the de-alloyed metal weak and often
porous. This “dealloying” may occur uniformly
or locally, often without a measurable change
in dimension.
 EROSION CORROSION

• Corrosion by erosion occurs in moving media.

This type of corrosion is related to the flow
speed of the fluid.
• It leads to local thinning of the metal, which
results in scratches, gullies, and undulations,
which are always oriented in the same direction,
namely the flow direction.
 STRESS CORROSION

• This type of corrosion results from the combine

action of a mechanical stress (bending, tension)
and a corrosive environment.

• Each of these parameters alone would not have

such a significant effect on the resistance of the
metal or would have no effect at all.
 HIGH-TEMPERATURE CORROSION
• Fuels used in gas turbines, diesel engines and other
machinery, which contain vanadium or sulfates can,
during combustion, form compounds with a low melting
point. These compounds are very corrosive towards
metal alloys normally resistant to high temperatures and
corrosion, including stainless steel.
• High temperature corrosion can also be caused by high
temperature oxidization, sulfidation and carbonization.
 RATE OF CORROSION
• The rate of corrosion is the speed at which a metal
deteriorates in a specific environment. The rate, or speed,
is dependent upon environmental conditions as well as the
type, and condition, of the metal.

• In order to calculate the rate of corrosion, the following

information must be collected:
a) Weight loss (the decrease in metal weight during the
reference time period)
b) Density (density of the metal)
c) Area (total initial surface area of the metal piece)
d) Time (the length of the reference time period)
The corrosion rate depends on the kinetics of
both anodic (oxidation) and cathodic (reduction)
reactions. According to Faraday's law, there is a
linear relationship between the
metal dissolution rate or corrosion rate, RM, and
the corrosion current icorr
• where M is the atomic weight of the metal, ρ is
the density, n is the charge number which
indicates the number of electrons exchanged
in the dissolution reaction and F is the
Faraday constant, (96.485 C/mol). The
ratio M/n is also sometime referred to as
equivalent weight.
 GENERAL CORROSION PREVENTIONS:
1. Selecting material e.g. Metals and Alloys, Metal Purification,
Non-metalics.
2. Alternating the environment by Changing Mediums, using
Inhibitors.
3. Changing Design i.e Wall Thickness, Design Rules etc.
4. By Cathodic and Anodic Protection.
5. By applying coatings e.g. metallic and Other Inorganic
Coatings, Organic Coatings.
6. By Corrosion Control Standards and Failure Analysis.
 Active Permanent
Corrosion Corrosion
Protection Protection
 PERMANENT CORROSION
PROTECTION
• The aim of permanent corrosion protection is to
influence the reactions which proceed during
corrosion, it being possible to control not only the
package contents and the corrosive agent but also
the reaction itself in such a manner that corrosion
is avoided.
•Examples of such an approach are the
development of corrosion-resistant alloys.
 ACTIVE CORROSION
PROTECTION
• The purpose of active corrosion protection methods is
mainly to provide protection at the place of use. The
stresses presented by climatic, biotic & chemical
factors are relatively slight in this situation.
• For example, in factories shed are
protected from extreme variations in
temperature etc.
 PREVENTION OF GALVANIC CORROSION
1. Material Selection: Use a single material or a combination of materials
that are close in the galvanic series! Or if you can’t avoid it. Try to
electrically isolate one from the other (rubber gasket).

2. Make the anode large and the cathode small.

3. Eliminate electrolyte

4. Avoid the use of a small ratio of anode area to cathode area. Use equal
areas or a large ratio of anode to cathode area. Electrically insulate
dissimilar metals where possible.
 PREVENTION OF PITTING CORROSION
There are several preventive approach to avoid pitting. There are:
1. Proper material selection e.g. SS316 with molybdenum having
higher pitting resistance compare to SS304.
2. Use higher alloys for increased resistance to pitting
corrosion.
3. Control O2 level by injecting O2 scavenger in boiler water
system.
4. Control pH, chloride concentration and temperature.
5. Cathodic protection and/or Anodic Protection.
6. Proper monitoring of O2 & chloride contents by routine
sampling.
 SELECTIVE LEACHING PREVENTION

The only effective method of preventing corrosion by

selective leaching is to avoid the use of materials known
to be subject to it in association with the fluids concerned.
For example Brasses with high zinc content (> 35 percent)
in acid environments are particularly susceptible.
 PREVENTION OF EROSION CORROSION
1. Use materials with superior resistance to erosion corrosion.

2. Design for minimal erosion corrosion.

3. Change the environment.

4. Use protective coatings.

5. Provide cathodic protection

 PREVENTION OF STRESS CORROSION
1. Reducing the fluid pressure or increasing the wall thickness.

2. Relieve residual stress by annealing.

3. Change the metal alloy to one that is less subject to stress- corrosion cracking. E.g.
carbon steel is more resistant than stainless steel to corrosion cracking in a
chloride-containing environment, but less resistant to uniform corrosion. Replacing
stainless steel with an alloy of higher nickel content is often effective.

4. Modify the corrosive fluid by process treatment or the addition of corrosion

inhibitors such as phosphates.

5. Apply cathodic protection with sacrificial anodes or external power supply.

6. Use venting air pockets to avoid concentration of chloride in the cooling water
 PREVENTION OF INTERGRANULAR ATTACK
1. Welding of stainless steels causes sensitization. Always anneal at
1900 – 2000 F after welding to redistribute Cr.

2. Use low carbon grade stainless to eliminate sensitization (304L or

316L).

3. Add alloy stabilizers like titanium which ties up the carbon atoms and
prevents chromium depletion.

4. As a rule of thumb for each 10'C rise in temperature doubles the rate
of corrosion.
 PREVENTION OF CREVICE CORROSION

1. Avoiding crevices in design

2. Avoiding crevices during fabrication

3. Avoiding crevices during operation

 PREVENTION OF
HIGH-TEMPERATURE CORROSION

1. Avoid high carbon steels.

2. Use higher alloyed steels.

3. By following the safe operating limits.

4. Use a safety margin of 30°C when using Nelson curves.

Nelson curves are commonly used to select the various grades of steels and the safe operating limits of
temperature and hydrogen partial pressure.