CORROSION

2/ENGR LEONARDO C CUERDO, MSc

Corrosion

Itis the gradual destruction of

materials (usually metals) by
chemical and/or electrochemical
reaction with their environment.
Types of Corrosion

Uniform Corrosion
This is also called
general corrosion.
The surface effect
produced by most
direct chemical
attacks (e.g., as by
an acid) is a uniform
etching of the metal
Types of Corrosion

General Corrosion

Thinning or metal loss

in which the thickness
of the metal is evenly
reduce over a large
surface area.
Types of Corrosion
Galvanic Corrosion
Galvanic corrosion is
an electrochemical
action of two dissimilar
metals in the presence
of an electrolyte and an
electron conductive
path. It occurs when
dissimilar metals are in
contact.
Types of Corrosion

Concentration Cell
Corrosion
Concentration cell
corrosion occurs when
two or more areas of a
metal surface are in
contact with different
concentrations of the
same solution.
Types of Corrosion
Pitting Corrosion
Pitting corrosion is
localized corrosion that
occurs at microscopic
defects on a metal
surface. The pits are
often found underneath
surface deposits
caused by corrosion
product accumulation.
Pitting
 Localized metal attack characteristic
by formation of round deep cavity in
a metal surface.
 One of the most serious forms of
corrosion and often associated with
oxygen
 It is caused by fatty acid from the
decomposition of lubricating oil
Types of Corrosion
Stress Corrosion
Cracking (SCC)
- is caused by the
simultaneous effects of
tensile stress and a
specific corrosive
environment. Stresses
may be due to applied
loads, residual stresses
from the manufacturing
process, or a combination
of both.
Types of Corrosion

Caustic Cracking

Physical destruction in
which a fracturing of
the metal following
grain boundary occur
due to stress
Types of Corrosion
Erosion corrosion - is the result of a
combination of an aggressive chemical
environment and high fluid-surface
velocities.
 Types of Corrosion
Microbial Corrosion
(microbiologically -
influenced corrosion or
MIC)
- is corrosion that is
caused by the presence
and activities of
microbes. This corrosion
can take many forms
and can be controlled by
biocides or by
conventional corrosion
control methods.
 Types of Corrosion
Corrosion Fatigue
- is a special case of
stress corrosion caused
by the combined effects
of cyclic stress and
corrosion. No metal is
immune from some
reduction of its resistance
to cyclic stressing if the
metal is in a corrosive
environment.
 Types of Corrosion
Crevice Corrosion
Crevice or contact
corrosion is the corrosion
produced at the region of
contact of metals with
metals or metals with
nonmetals. It may occur at
washers, under barnacles,
at sand grains, under
applied protective films,
and at pockets formed by
threaded joints.
 Types of Corrosion
Filiform Corrosion
This type of corrosion
occurs on painted or
plated surfaces when
moisture permeates the
coating. Long branching
filaments of corrosion
product extend out from
the original corrosion pit
and cause degradation of
the protective coating.
Types of Corrosion

Intergranular
Corrosion
Intergranular
corrosion is an attack
on or adjacent to the
grain boundaries of a
metal or alloy.
 Types of Corrosion
De-alloying
is a rare form of corrosion
found in copper alloys, gray
cast iron, and some other
alloys. Dealloying occurs
when the alloy loses the
active component of the
metal and retains the more
corrosion resistant
component in a porous
"sponge" on the metal
surface.
 Types of Corrosion
Fretting Corrosion
The rapid corrosion that
occurs at the interface
between contacting,
highly loaded metal
surfaces when
subjected to slight
vibratory motions is
known as fretting
corrosion.
 Types of Corrosion
Corrosion in Concrete
 Concrete is a widely-
used structural material
that is frequently
reinforced with carbon
steel reinforcing rods,
post-tensioning cable or
prestressing wires. The
steel is necessary to
maintain the strength of
the structure, but it is
subject to corrosion.
 Types of Corrosion
Hydrogen Damage
Hydrogen embrittlement
is a problem with high-
strength steels, titanium,
and some other metals.
Control is by eliminating
hydrogen from the
environment or by the
use of resistant alloys.
Causes of Corrosion

- Reactivity of metal
- Presence of impurities
- Presence of air, moisture, gases
like SO2 and CO2
- Presence of electrolyte
Causes of Corrosion
 a. Oxygen
 most undesirable contaminants
which enter in boiler
 oxygen dissolves in water and
causes corrosion at an excessive
rate
 oxygen reacts with the ferrous metal
surface to form red iron oxide
(Fe₂O₃)
Causes of Corrosion
 Red Iron Oxide is known as rust
 Red Iron Oxide is porous and does
not protect the metal surface
 Corrosion continues until the entire
metal will be converted to Ferric
Oxide unless corrective action are
taken
Causes of Corrosion
b. Carbon Dioxide
 carbon dioxide is from evaporator
 heat causes carbonate (CO₃) and
bicarbonate (HCO₃), which are
dissolve in the seawater to break
down to Carbon Dioxide
 CO₂ leaves the evaporator with the
vapor and dissolves in the distillate
 Causes of Corrosion
 CO₂ reacts with water reduces PH of water
and accelerates corrosion (general) in the
feed water, steam, condensate system
 Carbonic Acid attacks the steel in the feed
and condensate line to form [Fe (HCO₃)2]
Ferrous bicarbonate
 Carbonic Acid produces general corrosion,
which is typical for grooving along the
bottom of the pipe, overall metal thinning,
loss of metal at stress areas such as bent, &
threads.
Causes of Corrosion
c. Ammonia
 Copper base metal are subject to
attack by ammonia in the presence
of oxygen
 Ammonia + O₂ produces corrosion
 Ammonia is formed by the
decomposition of organic material or
breakdown of Hydrazine
 Corrosion Protection
Cathodic protection
The principle of this method is to alter the
electrode potential of the metallic structure
so that they can lie in the immunity
region. This is the region where the metal
is in the stable state of the element and
corrosion reactions are not possible. It is
mostly used in steel structures in marine
and under ground regions.
 Corrosion Protection
Corrosion inhibitors
Corrosion processes are also a type of
surface reactions. These can be controlled
by foreign compounds which are known as
inhibitors.
The inhibitors get adsorbed on the reacting
metal surface. It attaches directly to the
surface or adsorbs up to one molecular
layer of the metal surface. This is a well
known method for controlling the corrosion
 Corrosion Protection
Electrolytes
Substances that conduct electric
current. They are formed as a result of
a dissociation into positively and negatively
charged particles called ions, which migrate
toward and ordinarily are discharged at the
negative and positive terminals of an
electric circuit, respectively. The most
familiar electrolytes are acids, bases, and
salts, which ionize when dissolved in such
solvents as water. Many salts, such as
sodium chloride, behave as electrolytes
when dissolved in water.
Salts as an Electrolytes
 "Salts,"on the other hand, usually have
weak "bonds" and the atoms of salts can
easily be separated into its appropriate
ions. When a salt, like sodium chloride
(table salt) is dissolved in water the sodium
and chloride separate temporarily. The
sodium atom will become a positively
charged ion and the chloride atom will
become a negatively charged ion.
 Corrosion Protection
Anode
the positively charged electrode by
which the electrons leave a device.
the negatively charged electrode of a
device supplying current such as a
primary cell.
 Corrosion Protection
- The mechanism of the sacrificial anode
protection system is very similar to the
reaction mechanism of electrochemical cells
- In sacrificial anodes the protected metal is
placed on the cathode side and then a more
reactive metal or alloy (having a larger
potential difference than the protected
metal) is chosen and connected to the
protected metal as an anode.
 Corrosion Protection
 Anoxidation reaction occurs at the
anode, which means that the sacrificial
metal will be consumed. At the same
time, the reduction reaction occurs on
the cathodic side, preventing the
protected metal from erosion. Thus,
corrosion on the protected metal is
successfully shifted to the anode,
protecting the metal.
 Corrosion Protection

 Sacrificial anodes are normally supplied

with either lead wires or cast-m straps
to facilitate their connection to the
structure being protected. The lead
wires may be attached to the structure
by welding or mechanical connections.
 Corrosion Protection
The materials used for sacrificial anodes
are either relatively pure active metals,
such as zinc or magnesium, or are
magnesium or aluminum alloys that have
been specifically developed for use as
sacrificial anodes.
 Corrosion Protection
Advantages of using sacrificial anodes:

- Can be used where there is no power

- Lower initial cost
- Less supervision required
- Comparatively simple installation and
additional anodes can easily be added if
the initial installation proves to be
inadequate
 Corrosion Protection
Sacrificial anodes are used to protect:

- Hulls of ships
- Water heaters
- Pipelines
- Distribution systems
 Corrosion Protection
Cathode
the negatively charged electrode by
which electrons enter an electrical
device.
the positively charged electrode of an
electrical device, such as a primary cell,
that supplies current
 Corrosion Protection
 A galvanicanode is the main
component of a galvanic cathodic
protection (CP) system used to protect
buried or submerged metal structures
from corrosion.
 Corrosion Protection
 Cathodic protection (CP) is a technique
used to control the corrosion of a metal
surface by making it the cathode of an
electrochemical cell.
 A simple method of protection connects
the metal to be protected to a more
easily corroded "sacrificial metal" to act
as the anode. The sacrificial metal then
corrodes instead of the protected metal.