Written By: S.E. Smith Edited By: O. Wallace A corrosion inhibitor is a chemical compound which is designed to protect a metal or alloy from corrosion. While corrosion inhibitors will not halt or completely prevent corrosion, they can reduce the rate at which corrosion occurs, and block early corrosion damage. A wide variety of [...]
Iverson, WP | Olson, GJ The corrosion of iron and steel in the form of storage tanks, pipelines, pumps, and other systems by sulfate-reducing bacteria is a serious problem faced by the petroleum industry. Recently, sulfate-reducing bacteria have been suspected of contributing to failure of certain enhanced (tertiary) oil recovery operations, possibly by degrading polymers [...]
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. Cross sections of SCC frequently show branched cracks. This river branching pattern is unique to SCC and is used [...]
Materials Selection Most large metal structures are made from carbon steel-the world’s most useful structural material. Carbon steel is inexpensive, readily available in a variety of forms, and can be machined, welded, and formed into many shapes. This large statue by Pablo Picasso in front of the Chicago city hall is made from a special [...]
Hydrogen can cause a number of corrosion problems. 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. Hydrogen blistering can occur when hydrogen enters steel as a result of the reduction reaction on a metal cathode. [...]
Metals corrode because we use them in environments where they are chemically unstable. Only copper and the precious metals (gold, silver, platinum, etc.) are found in nature in their metallic state. All other metals, to include iron-the metal most commonly used-are processed from minerals or ores into metals which are inherently unstable in their environments. [...]
Overview Anodic Protection is a corrosion mitigation technique first introduced in the 1960′s in which the potential of an alloy is controlled relative to a stable reference potential in a range of values more positive or oxidizing than the corrosion potential that causes the corrosion rate to be depressed relative to that which would occur [...]
FACT OR MYTH? “Small animals eating steel” is a myth. It is however a fact that local corrosion, occurring at very high rates and typically looking like clusters of pits, can be caused by chemical processes initiated by bacterial activity, i.e. bacterial corrosion exists. This phenomenon is sometimes described as “microbial corrosion” indicating that types [...]
We understand that acidic RO water is not harmful to the human body. However, what about RO water in metal piping instead of the human body? People have found that RO water corroded their metal piping. What would be your recommendation to prevent such corrosion?
Just about anything made of metal is potentially subject to corrosion. A particularly important problem in the petrochemical and power generation industries is measurement of remaining wall thickness in pipes, tubes, or tanks that may be corroded on the inside surface. Such corrosion is often not detectable by visual inspection without cutting or disassembling the [...]