Bacterial degradation of naphtha and its influence on corrosion

The degradation problem of naphtha arises since hydrocarbon acts as an excellent food source for a wide variety of microorganisms. Microbial activity leads to unacceptable level of turbidity, corrosion of pipeline and souring of stored product. In the present study, biodegradation of naphtha in the storage tank and its influence on corrosion was studied. The corrosion studies were carried out by gravimetric method. Uniform corrosion was observed from the weight loss coupons in naphtha (0.024 mm/yr) whereas in presence of naphtha with water, blisters (1.2052 mm/yr) were noticed. The naphtha degradation by microbes was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). IR study reveals the formation of primary alcohol during degradation process. It was found that microbes degrade (CH₂CH₂)_n to RCH₃. Iron bacteria, manganese oxidizing bacteria, acid producers, and heterotrophic bacteria were enumerated and identified in the pipeline. SRB could not be noticed. Since water stratifies in the pipeline, the naphtha-degraded product may adsorb on pipeline, which would enhance the rate of microbial corrosion. On the basis of degradation and corrosion data, a hypothesis for microbial corrosion has been proposed.     

Field sludge characterization obtained from inner of pipelines

Physicochemical characterization of sludge obtained from refined hydrocarbons transmission pipeline was carried out through Mössbauer spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The Mössbauer and X-ray patterns indicate the presence of corrosion products composed of different iron oxide and sulfide phases. Hematite (α-Fe₂O₃), magnetite (Fe₃O₄), maghemite (γ-Fe₂O₃), magnetic and superparamagnetic goethite (α-FeOOH), pyrrhotite (Fe_1−xS), akaganeite (β-FeOOH), and lepidocrocite (γ-FeOOH) were identified as corrosion products in samples obtained from pipeline transporting Magna and Premium gasoline. For diesel transmission pipeline, hematite, magnetite, and magnetic goethite were identified. Corrosion products follow a simple reaction mechanism of steel dissolution in aerated aqueous media at a near-neutral pH. Chemical composition of the corrosion products depends on H₂O and sulfur inherent in fluids (traces). These results can be useful for decision-making with regard to pipeline corrosion control.     

Corrosion behaviour of silicon-carbide-particle reinforced AZ92 magnesium alloy

The corrosion behaviour of silicon-carbide-particle (SiCp) reinforced AZ92 magnesium alloy manufactured by a powder metallurgy process was evaluated in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution, neutral salt fog (ASTM B 117) and high relative humidity (98% RH, 50 °C) environments. The findings revealed severe corrosion of AZ92/SiC/0-10p materials in salt fog environment with formation of corrosion products consisting of Mg(OH)₂ and (Mg,Al)_x(OH)_y. The addition of SiCp increased the corrosion rate and promoted cracking and spalling of the corrosion layer for increasing exposure times. Composite materials revealed higher corrosion resistance in high humidity atmosphere with almost no influence of SiCp on the corrosion behaviour.     

Inhibitory effect of some amino acids on corrosion of Pb-Ca-Sn alloy in sulfuric acid solution

The present article describes the inhibition effect of amino acids cysteine (Cys), methionine (Met) and alanine (Ala), towards the corrosion of lead-alloy (Pb-Ca-Sn) in H₂SO₄ solution by potentiodynamic polarization, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), weight loss measurement and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) methods. The influence of inhibitor concentration, temperature and time on inhibitory behavior of the amino acids was investigated. The corrosion data including corrosion current density (I_corr), corrosion potential (E_corr) and charge transfer resistance (R_ct) were determined from Tafel plots and EIS. Recording impedance spectra showed that the charge transfer resistance is increased by increasing adsorption time. The SEM micrographs revealed that the corroded surface area is decreased in the presence of amino acids. Meanwhile, the inhibition efficiency (IE) was found to be depending on the type of amino acid and its concentration. The IE for 0.1 M Cys in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ is greater than 96%. Adsorption isotherms were fitted by Langmuir isotherm.     

Ex-situ and in-situ X-ray diffractions of corrosion products freshly formed on the surface of an iron-silicon alloy

Ex-situ X-ray diffraction measurements of a small amount of samples extracted from wet corrosion products freshly formed on a pure iron and iron-2 mass% silicon surfaces have been conducted using synchrotron radiation for clarifying the formation process of corrosion products. The results showed that γ-FeOOH was formed on the outer side of wet corrosion products formed on the surface of the pure iron by sodium chloride solution, while γ-FeOOH, α-FeOOH, Fe₃O₄, and green rusts were formed on the inner side. On the other hand, in comparison to the case of the pure iron, a significant formation of β-FeOOH was observed in the iron-silicon alloy. Influences of silicon alloying on corrosion products formed by aqueous solution containing sulfate ions were also observed. Furthermore, in-situ diffraction measurements by a conventional X-ray source were conducted for analyzing corrosion products formed on the pure iron and iron-silicon alloy surfaces by cyclic exposure to wet and dry atmospheres. The results obtained by the in-situ diffraction and ex-situ diffraction measurements on the corrosion products were consistent.     

Degradation mechanism of galvanized steel in wet-dry cyclic environment containing chloride ions

The wet-dry cyclic test of a galvanized steel (GI) and pure zinc (ZN), which simulates marine atmospheric environment, has been conducted to clarify the degradation mechanism of galvanized steel. The samples were exposed to alternate conditions of 1 h-immersion in a 0.05 M NaCl solution and 7 h-drying at 25 °C and 60%RH, and the corrosion was monitored for 10 days (30 cycles) using a two-electrode type probe. Simultaneously, the corrosion potential was measured every three cycles only during the immersed conditions. The reciprocal of polarization resistance R_p⁻¹ was taken as an index of the corrosion rate. Several sample plates of GI and ZN were exposed, together with the monitoring probes. They were removed from the test chamber at the end of 1st, 3rd, 9th, 18th, and 30th cycles of exposure and were analyzed for the corrosion products with XRD and laser Raman spectroscopy. Further, their cross sections were analyzed with FESEM-EDS. The FESEM photographs and elemental analysis of cross sections confirmed that the R_p⁻¹ value commences to decrease when the corrosion front reaches Zn-Fe alloy layers (boundary layers of zinc coating and steel substrate) due to localized nature of attack. A schematic model of degradation mechanism and the role of galvanic protection have been discussed.     

Biodegradation kinetics of modified magnesium-based materials in cell culture medium

Mg-based materials are especially attractive as biodegradable implants, although they degrade so fast in physiological media that corrosion protection is needed. In this work, biodegradation kinetics of powder metallurgy Mg, cast Mg and AZ31 alloy were evaluated by EIS measurements in cell culture medium (DMEM), which simulates closely the physiological media. To reduce their degradation rate, a chemical conversion treatment in HF was applied to form MgF₂ coatings. Results confirmed that this coating slows down the biodegradation rate, especially when formed on cast Mg and AZ31, retarding the corrosion process in the cell culture medium for at least a week.     

西南地区某输油管道外腐蚀分析

目的研究西南地区某输油管道外腐蚀行为。方法现场检测,对土壤理化性质及腐蚀产物成分进行室内分析。结果开挖点A的土壤呈弱碱性,土壤腐蚀性弱,管道发生轻微均匀腐蚀,腐蚀产物主要为FeO(OH),Fe(OH)3和Fe3O4等铁的氧化物,对应的阴极反应为吸氧反应;开挖点B的土壤酸性强,硫酸根离子浓度高,土壤腐蚀性强,管道发生严重坑蚀,腐蚀产物主要成分为FeSO4·7H2O及少量碱式硫酸铁,对应的阴极反应以析氢反应为主。结论开挖点土壤的理化性质差异,导致管道的腐蚀形态、腐蚀产物和腐蚀机理显著不同。     

Pitting corrosion in low carbon steel influenced by remanent magnetization

A new type of experiment is performed using a closed magnetic circuit configuration in order to study the influence of the magnetic field on pitting corrosion in low carbon pipeline steel. The statistical assessment of the pitting corrosion data shows that the magnetic field in the material under test reduces the extreme pit depths and also the average depth of the pit population. It is proposed that reduction in pit depth under the influence of remanent magnetization can be explained based on the behavior of the paramagnetic corrosion products under the influence of the magnetic field gradient produced inside pits.     

Effect of Dy2O3 intergranular addition on thermal stability and corrosion resistance of Nd–Fe–B magnets

Sintered Nd–Fe–B magnets with and without Dy₂O₃ were prepared by powder blending method. The temperature-dependent magnetic properties, thermal stability, microstructure and corrosion resistance of sintered magnets were investigated. The temperature-dependent magnetic properties revealed that with intergranular addition of Dy₂O₃, the reversible temperature coefficients β and α in the range of 293–373 K were both lowered, indicating that the thermal stability was effectively improved. This was also verified by the decreased irreversible flux loss (h_irr) and the increased maximum operating temperature (MOT). Moreover, the electrochemical and accelerated corrosion results clearly evidenced that the corrosion resistance of Nd–Fe–B magnet was also modified by addition of Dy₂O₃. Furthermore, the related mechanisms on improved thermal stability and corrosion resistance were systematically discussed.     

Corrosion behavior of low-alloy steel in the presence of Desulfotomaculum sp.

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of sulfate-reducing Desulfotomaculum sp. bacteria isolated from a crude oil field on the corrosion of low-alloy steel. The corrosion rate and mechanism were determined with the use of Tafel slopes, mass loss method and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The formation of the biofilm and the corrosion products on the steel surface was determined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs and energy dispersive X-ray spectra (EDS) analysis. It was observed from the Tafel plots that the corrosion potential exhibited a cathodic shift that verifies an increase in the corrosion rates. The semicircles tended to open at lower frequencies in the Nyquist plots which indicates the rupture of the protective film. The corrosion current density reached its maximum value at the 14th hour after the inoculation and decreased afterwards. This was attributed to the accumulation of corrosion products on the surface.     

Tribocorrosion behaviour of HVOF cermet coatings

The main purpose of this work is to analyze the degradation mechanisms induced on industrial HVOF cermet coatings by tribocorrosion. Tribocorrosion of cermet coatings is a subject that has not been widely analyzed in research studies: in fact, while many works dealing with wear or corrosion of HVOF cermet coatings are published, studies relevant to the combined processes (wear and corrosion) are relatively few.The tribocorrosion mechanisms of the cermet coatings were studied in a sodium chloride solution under sliding wear, trying to combine and integrate differently produced mechanical and electrochemical damage phenomena.Electrochemical techniques such as potentiodynamic polarization curves as well as potentiostatic (I vs t) or galvanostatic (E vs t) methods were used in order to stimulate and to interprete tribocorrosion degradation mechanisms.It was shown that coating post grinding, which is a mechanical operation usually performed after the deposition of conventional cermet coatings in order to obtain a desired roughness, could produce structural damages, which can greatly affect the mechano-chemical behaviour of the cermet coatings.Mainly abrasive-adhesive wear mechanisms were observed on the coating surface and sometimes, depending on coatings mechanical properties (fracture toughness), cracks developed during wear causing the coating continuity breaking. In the latter case, the degradation mechanism is no longer governed only by surface tribocorrosion, but undermining corrosion can occur, greatly affecting sample performances and promoting coating detachment.Cr₃C₂-NiCr coatings, under all the selected experimental conditions, showed good barrier properties and substrate corrosion was never observed. Moreover, when chromium was added to the metal matrix of WC-Co based systems, tribocorrosion behaviour was enhanced and the lower tribocorrosion rates were measured.Finally, it was shown that electrochemical techniques can be used to govern the coating corrosion processes and to interpret the main degradation mechanisms, even though they seem not to provide a precise quantitative analysis of tribocorrosion.     

Atmospheric corrosion of field-exposed AZ31 magnesium in a tropical marine environment

Corrosion behavior of AZ31 magnesium in tropical marine atmosphere was investigated. Chloride ions deposition rate played an important role in the corrosion process, which resulted in an obvious fluctuation of the corrosion rate. The corrosion was initiated from pitting corrosion and then evolved into general corrosion as the exposure time extended. Mg₅(CO₃)₄(OH)₂·xH₂O was the dominate products during the whole exposure periods. The products on the specimens weathered for 1, 6 and 12 months slightly suppressed the corrosion process, while that generated after 24 months of exposure exhibited good protective ability against further corrosion attacks.     

Microbially influenced corrosion of zinc and aluminium - Two-year subjection to influence of Aspergillus niger

Aspergillus niger. Tiegh., a filamentous ascomycete fungus, was isolated from the metal samples exposed to marine, rural and urban sites in Lithuania. Al and Zn samples were subjected to two-year influence of A. niger under laboratory conditions in humid atmosphere. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) ascertained microbially influenced corrosion acceleration (MICA) of Zn and inhibition (MICI) of Al. EIS data indicated a two-layer structure of corrosion products on Zn. The microorganisms reduced the thickness of the inner layer, whose passivating capacity was much higher when compared to that of the outer layer. An increase in aluminium oxide layer resistance but decrease in the layer thickness implied that MICI affected primarily the sites of localized corrosion of Al (pores, micro-cracks, etc.). X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) studies indicated that bioproducts (i.e. organic acids) did not form crystalline phases with corrosion products of zinc. The study suggested a hypothesis that microorganisms could be used as corrosion protectors instead of toxic chemicals, application of which tends to be increasingly restricted.     

Enhancing the inhibition action of cationic surfactant with sodium halides for mild steel in 0.5 M H2SO4

The synergistic effect of N-hexadecylpyridinium bromide (PyC₁₆Br) and different sodium halides on the corrosion of mild steel in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ solution has been investigated using electrochemical methods, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Experimental results showed that the protection efficiency (P_icor) of PyC₁₆Br improved at either considerable high concentration near its critical micelle concentration (CMC) or in the presence of the different halides with different extents. The synergism parameter (S_θ) is found to be greater than unity indicating high P_icor. Corrosion products phases and surface morphology were studied using XRD and SEM, respectively.     

Towards improved integrated properties in FeCrPCB bulk metallic glasses by Cr addition

Fe-based soft-magnetic metallic glasses (MGs) of Fe_80−xCr_xP₉C₉B₂ (x = 0, 2, 5, 8 and 16 at.%) with high glass-forming ability (GFA), good soft-magnetic properties and high corrosion resistance are fabricated. With the addition of Cr to FePC-based alloys, the GFA and saturation magnetization (M_s) slightly decrease while the corrosion resistance effectively increases. The Fe–Cr–P–C–B BMGs exhibit good GFA and fully glassy rods can be produced up to 1.8 and 1.5 mm in diameter for the 2 and 5 at.% Cr added alloys, respectively. The alloys with 2 and 5 at.% Cr addition also show good soft-magnetic properties featured by high M_s of 1.16 and 1.04 T, low coercivity of 2.7 and 2.2 A/m, respectively. Besides, the corrosion behavior of the alloys was studied by immersion tests and potentiodynamic polarization measurements. It was found that the addition of Cr efficiently enhances the corrosion resistance of Fe–Cr–P–C–B alloys and the glassy alloy with 5 at.% Cr addition exhibits better corrosion resistance in comparison with the stainless steel SUS304 in 3 mass% NaCl solution. The combination of large GFA, good soft-magnetic properties, high corrosion resistance as well as low cost makes the Fe–Cr–P–C–B alloys as promising soft-magnetic and anti-corrosive materials for industrial applications.     

Quantitative characterisation of steel/cement paste interface microstructure and corrosion phenomena in mortars suffering from chloride attack

Chloride ions constitute one of the deleterious agents that may cause or promote corrosion of steel reinforcement in concrete. The influence of chloride ingress on mortar microstructure (including microstructural alterations of hydration products and of pore structure) has been studied by the authors on the basis of cross-section image analysis of reinforced mortar specimens [D.A. Koleva, J. Hu, A.L.A. Fraaij, N. Boshkov, Influences of chloride ions on plain and reinforced mortars, investigated by combined microstructure and electrochemical approaches, Paper 315, Eurocorr 2005, September 4–8 ’05, Lisbon, Portugal]. This paper specifically pursues exploring the morphological aspects and chemical compositions of the corrosion products deposited on steel surface. For this purpose, scanning electron images (SEM) were taken on the cylindrical surface of steel reinforcement and also on the corresponding positions on cement paste surface for visualisation and microstructural investigations of corrosion products. In addition, energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDXA) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) are employed for quantitative characterisation of the corrosion products at the steel–paste interface. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is used to estimate the corrosion current and corrosion rate for the reinforced mortars. The EIS measurements are in good agreement with the microstructural observations and quantitative analysis of various corrosion products. The combination of electrochemical measurements with quantitative microstructure analysis of the steel–paste interface constitutes a reliable and useful tool for quantitative characterisation of the interface microstructure and thereby provides better insight into the electrochemical processes during corrosion of the steel reinforcement in concrete.     

Influence of flow on the corrosion inhibition of St52-3 type steel by potassium hydrogen-phosphate

Influence of hydrodynamic conditions on the corrosion of St52-3 type steel rotating disc electrode, RDE, in 3.5% NaCl and its corrosion inhibition using K₂HPO₄ have been studied. Results showed that by rotating the electrode in blank and inhibited solutions, corrosion current density, i_corr, increased, corrosion potential, E_corr, shifted toward more positive values and charge transfer resistance, R_ct, decreased. The inhibition efficiencies increased with electrode rotation rate. This increase was attributed to the enhanced mass transport of inhibitor molecules toward the metal surface and formation of more protective films. Little decrease of efficiencies at higher rotation speeds was probably because of the separation of protective films due to high shear stresses.     

Influence of strain Bacillus cereus bacterium on corrosion behaviour of carbon steel in natural sea water

This paper examines the corrosion behaviours of carbon steel immersed in sterile natural sea water with and without strain Bacillus cereus. Electrochemical studies, including Tafel plots and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were performed to evaluate the variation of the corrosion behaviour of carbon steel in medium containing B. cereus as compared to the sterile control samples. The results of Tafel plot measurements showed significant reduction in the corrosion rate in the presence of bacterial biofilm produced by strain B. cereus. The EIS data showed that the charge transfer resistance is greater in a medium containing B. cereus and increases with immersion time.     

Hot corrosion behaviour of Yb2Zr2O7 ceramic coated with V2O5 at temperatures of 600-800 °C in air

To better understand the hot corrosion behaviour of Yb₂Zr₂O₇ ceramic in molten V₂O₅, hot corrosion experiments were performed in a temperature range of 600-800 °C in air. Different reaction products of ZrV₂O₇, YbVO₄ and m-ZrO₂ were identified depending upon the hot corrosion conditions, for example, ZrV₂O₇ and YbVO₄ at 600 °C for 2 h and 8 h; ZrV₂O₇, m-ZrO₂ and YbVO₄ at 700 °C for 2 h; m-ZrO₂ and YbVO₄ either at 800 °C for 2 h or at 700-800 °C for 8 h. The hot corrosion reaction mechanisms were further discussed based on the thermal instability of ZrV₂O₇ at elevated temperatures.