Evaluation of innovative microreactor for examination of alkoxide pitting corrosion and data generation for numerical transient model

Abstract

In fuel‐bearing components, particularly in automotive applications operating at elevated temperatures, the durability of light metals is significantly influenced by their susceptibility to alkoxide corrosion. Alkoxide corrosion is characterized by its spontaneous nature and exceptionally rapid degradation of materials once initiated. This study presents an innovative high‐pressure and high‐temperature micro‐reactor, which enables precise measurements with superior sensitivity for determining the exact initiation times and reaction rates of pitting corrosion. Exemplified tests of surface roughness and water content effect on pitting initiation times were conducted and data was generated for a numerical phase field model to demonstrate the reactor capabilities. Experimental findings suggest that impurities present on both the material surface and in the fuel exhibit a significant influence on corrosivity, thereby affecting the reliability of the components. Moreover, the experimental data points have been utilized to extract the corrosion kinetics and calibrate the numerical model. The initial findings successfully demonstrate the ability to replicate corrosion kinetics and accurately represent pit morphologies and estimate reaction‐related parameters in a predictive manner.