In this study, the cause of failure of a low-carbon steel pipe meeting standard KS D 3562 (ASTM A135), in a district heating system was investigated. After 6 years of operation, the pipe failed prematurely due to pitting corrosion, which occurred both inside and outside of the pipe. Pitting corrosion occurred more prominently outside the pipe than inside, where water quality is controlled. The analysis indicated that the pipe failure occurred due to aluminum inclusions and the presence of a pearlite inhomogeneous phase fraction. Crevice corrosion occurred in the vicinity around the aluminum inclusions, causing localized corrosion. In the large pearlite fraction region, cementite in the pearlite acted as a cathode to promote dissolution of surrounding ferrite. Therefore, in the groundwater environment outside of the pipe, localized corrosion occurred due to crevice corrosion by aluminum inclusions, and localized corrosion was accelerated by the large fraction of pearlite around the aluminum inclusions, leading to pipe failure.
Carbonaceous residues on copper pipes during the manufacturing process are known to be one of the main causes of pitting corrosion on copper pipes. This study examined the corrosion-inhibiting effect of benzotriazole (BTA) on C12200 copper pipes with carbonaceous film in synthetic tap water. In the absence of BTA, localized corrosion mechanisms due to galvanic corrosion, crevice corrosion, and oxygen-concentration cell were proposed in the boundary part of the carbonaceous film on the copper through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) analyses. Electrochemical tests showed that BTA inhibits corrosion by forming Cu−BTA complexes on all over the copper surface where carbonaceous film is present. BTA mitigates galvanic corrosion and crevice corrosion at the boundary of the carbonaceous film and suppresses the formation of oxygen-concentration cells through the formation of a Cu−BTA complex.
This study investigated the optimum pickling conditions for improving the phosphatability of advanced high-strength steel (AHSS) using surface analysis and electrochemical measurements. To remove the SiO2 that forms on the surface of AHSS, 30 wt.% NH4HF2 was added to the pickling solution, resulting in a significant reduction in the amount of SiO2 remaining on the surface of the AHSS. The phosphatability was improved remarkably using HNO3 concentrations higher than 13% in the pickling solution. Furthermore, phosphate crystals became finer after pickling with a HNO3-based solution rather than a HCl-based solution. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) data indicated that the corrosion resistance of AHSS subjected to HNO3-based pickling was higher than that of AHSS subjected to HCl-based pickling. Fluorine compounds, which were involved in the phosphate treatment process, were only formed on the surface of steel in HNO3-based solutions. The F compounds reacted with the phosphate solution to increase the pH of the bulk solution, which greatly improved the phosphatability. The phosphatability was better under HNO3-based conditions than a HCl-based condition due to the fineness of the phosphate structure and the increased surface roughness.
Many research studies have been conducted on the corrosion inhibition performance of imidazole in acidic environments such as in the piping of a petrochemical plant. However, there has been no study on the effect of imidazole in alkaline conditions such as a local district water heating environment. Therefore, in this study, the effect of imidazole as a corrosion inhibitor on carbon steel weldment was investigated in alkaline district heating water. Inhibition efficiency and electrochemical properties were investigated by potentiodynamic polarization test and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. As the concentration of imidazole increased up to 500 ppm, inhibition efficiency increased up to 91.7%. At 1000 ppm, inhibition efficiency decreased. Atomic force microscopy showed that surface coverage of imidazole at 1000 ppm is lower than that of imidazole at 500 ppm. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that with 500 ppm of imidazole, the amount of pyrrole type interaction is 4.8 times larger than pyridine type interaction. At 1000 ppm of imidazole, the amount of pyridine type interaction is 3.49 times larger than pyrrole type interaction. Depending on the concentration of imidazole, the ratio of interaction between carbon steel and imidazole affected inhibition efficiency.
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