CORROSION

CORROSION PROTECTION
CORROSION CONTROL (PROTECTION
AGAINST CORROSION)
As the corrosion process is very harmful and losses
incurred are tremendous, it becomes
necessary to minimize or control corrosion of metals.
Corrosion can be stopped completely only
under ideal conditions. But the attainment of ideal
conditions is not possible. However, it is possible
only to minimize corrosion considerably. Since the types
of corrosion are so numerous and the
conditions under which corrosion occurs are so different,
diverse methods are used to control
corrosion. As the corrosion is a reaction between the
metal or alloy and the environment, any
method of corrosion control must be aimed at either
modifying the metal or the environment.
a. Choice of metals and alloys:
1. The first choice is to use noble metals such as gold and
platinum. They are most
resistant to corrosion. As they are precious, they cannot
be used for general purposes.
2. The next choice is to use purest possible metal. But in
many cases, it is not possible to
produce a metal of high chemical purity. Hence, even a
trace amount of impurity leads
to corrosion.
3. Thus, the next choice is the use of corrosion resistant
alloys. Several corrosion
resistant alloys have been developed for specific
purposes and environment. For
example, a) Stainless steel containing chromium produce
an exceptionally coherent
oxide film which protects the steel from further attack. (b)
Cupro-nickel (70% Cu +
30%Ni) alloys are now used for condenser tubes and for
bubble trays used in
fractionating column in oil refineries. (c) Highly stressed
Nimonic alloys (Ni-Cr-Mo
alloys) used in gas turbines are very resistant to hot
gases.
b. Proper Designing:
Proper geometrical design plays a vital role in the control
of equipments and [Link] can control them with
following guidelines:
[Link] always simple design and structure
b. The design must avoid more complicated shapes
having more angles, edges,
corners etc.
c. Avoid the contact of dissimilar metals as they may lead
to galvanic type corrosion.
To overcome this, insulation can be used.
[Link] two dissimilar metals are to be in contact, the
anodic area must be as large as
possible and the cathodic area should be as small as
possible.
e. As far as possible, crevices (gap or crack) should be
avoided between adjacent
parts of a structure.
f. Bolts and rivets should be replaced by proper welding
g. Metal washers should be replaced by rubber or plastic
washers as they do not
adsorb water. They also act as insulation.
h. Corrosion in pipelines can be prevented by using
smooth bends.
i. Heat treatment like annealing minimizes the stress
corrosion.
MODIFYING THE ENVIRONMENT-CORROSION
CONTROL
Environment plays a major role in the corrosion of metals.
Hence, we can prevent corrosion
to a great extent by modifying the environment. Some of
the methods are
i) Deaeration:
Fresh water contains dissolved oxygen. The presence of
increased amount of oxygen is
harmful and increases the corrosion rate. Deaeration
involves the removal of dissolved oxygen by
increase of temperature together with mechanical
agitation. It also removes dissolved carbon dioxide in
water.
ii) By using inhibitors:
Inhibitors are organic or inorganic substances which
decrease the rate of corrosion. Usually
the inhibitors are added in small quantities to the corrosive
medium. Inhibitors are classified into
1) Anodic inhibitors (chemical passivators)
2) Cathodic inhibitors (adsorption inhibitors)
 [Link] phase inhibitors (volatile corrosion inhibitors)
Anodic Inhibitors:
Inhibitors which retard the corrosion of metals by forming
a sparingly soluble compound with
a newly produced metal cations. This compound will then
adsorb on the corroding metal surface
forming a passive film or barrier. Anodic inhibitors are
used to repair
a) the crack of the oxide film over the metal surface
b) the pitting corrosion
c) the porous oxide film formed on the metal surface.
Examples: Chromate, phosphate, tungstate, nitrate,
molybdate etc.
Cathodic Inhibitors:
Depending on the nature of the cathodic reaction in an
electrochemical corrosion, cathodic inhibitors are
classified into
a) In an acidic solution: the main cathodic reaction is the
liberation of hydrogen gas, the
corrosion can be controlled by slowing down the diffusion
of H+ ions through the
cathode. Eg., Amines, Mercaptans, Thiourea etc.
 b) In a neutral solution: in a neutral solution, the
cathodic reaction is the adsorption of
oxygen or formation of hydroxyl ions.
The corrosion is therefore controlled either by eliminating
oxygen from the corroding
medium or by retarding its diffusion to the cathodic area.
The dissolved oxygen can be eliminated by adding
reducing agents like Na2SO3.
The diffusion of oxygen can be controlled by adding
inhibitors like Mg, Zn or Ni salts.
Eg., Na2SO3, N2H4, Salts of Mg, Zn or Ni.
½ O2 + H2O + 2e- -------------- 2OH
Vapour phase inhibitors:These are organic inhibitors
which are readily vapourised and form a protective layer
on the
metal surface.
These are conveniently used to prevent corrosion in
closed spaces, storage containers,
packing materials, sophisticated equipments etc.
Examples are Dicyclohexylammonium nitrate,
dicyclohexyl ammonium chromate,
benzotriazole, phenylthiourea etc.
ANODIC PROTECTION
This is an electrochemical method of corrosion control in
which an external potential control
system, called potentiostat, is used to produce and
maintain a thin non corroding, passive film on a
metal or an alloy. The use of potentiostat is to shift
corrosion potential into passive potential so that
the corrosion of the metal is stopped.
The potential of the object (say acid storage tank) to be
protected is controlled by potential
controller (potentiostat) so that under certain potential
range, the object becomes passive and
prevents further corrosion. This potential range depends
upon the relationship between the metal
and the environment.
Applications:
1. Used in acid coolers in dilute sulphuric acid plants
2. used in storage tanks for sulphuric acid
3. used in chromium in contact with hydrofluoric acid
Limitations:
1. This method cannot be applied in the case of corrosive
medium containing aggressive
chloride.
2. This cannot be applied if protection breaks down at any
point, it is difficult to reestablish.