Corrosion behavior of WB36CN1 steel at different flow rates

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to study the effect of flow rate (0.42∼2.09 m/s) on the corrosion behavior of WB36CN1 steel pipe in the simulated secondary circuit water environment (170°C, 6 mg/L ethanolamine + 100 µg/L NaCl), for which an autoclave was used to simulate the secondary circuit environment for carrying out related experiments.

Design/methodology/approach

The corrosion behaviors were studied by electrochemical methods, morphological observations and elemental analysis.

Findings

As flow rate increases, the amplitude of the current noise fluctuates increased, noise resistance R_n and spectral noise resistance R_sn decreased, the shear stress on the surface of WB36CN1 steel increases, the oxygen content on the surface decreases, the roughness becomes smaller. Meanwhile, the energy of energy distribution plot is concentrated at high frequencies under the three flow conditions, the slopes of current power spectral density curve approach 0 db/decade. This means that the oxide on the surface becomes less and corrosion rate increases with increasing flow rate. The corrosion type of WB36CN1 steel was uniform corrosion; the degree of uniform corrosion is higher at high flow rate.

Originality/value

The effect of flow rate on the corrosion behavior of WB36CN1 steel pipe in the secondary circuit water environment was studied by using electrochemical methods in the laboratory. The effect mechanism of flow rate for corrosion behavior was obtained.

Citation

Song, J., Gao, Z., Liu, C. and Hu, W. (2020), "Corrosion behavior of WB36CN1 steel at different flow rates", Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, Vol. 67 No. 5, pp. 519-528. https://doi.org/10.1108/ACMM-04-2020-2291