Basic Inspection & Corrosion

INSTITUT TEKNOLOGI PETROLEUM PETRONAS

Outline
Fundamentals of corrosion Corrosion cell Corrosion corrodant

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What is corrosion?

Definition of corrosion :

Deterioration of material (metal) or its properties because of reaction with environment.

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What is corrosion?
Auto Body (atmosphere)

Mine

Iron Ore (iron oxide)

Steel mill Refining Casting Rolling Shaping

sheet

pipe

Underground pipeline (soil and water)

Rust (hydrated iron oxide)

Unstable materials want to return to a more stable compound. For example, gold and silver, can be found in the earth in their natural, metallic state and have little tendency to corrode. Iron ores contains oxides of iron and rusting of steel by water and oxygen result in hydrated iron oxide Rusting- steel and iron corrosion, other metals from oxides when corrosion occurs
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Corrosion Cell

Need 4 components for a corrosion cell : anode cathode Electrolyte : water, acid/aqueous solution electrical connection between the anode and cathode : metallic conductor, metal
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Corrosion cell

Involve two chemical processes ; oxidation and reduction. Oxidation electron is removed from an atom (anode) Reduction - electron is added to an atom (cathode) Electron move through a metallic conductor (either an external wire of the corroding metal itself) from anode to the cathode Positive and negative ions transmit current in solution
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Corrosion Reaction
For iron/steel in sea water : Anodic Reaction Fe ----> Fe2+ + 2eCathodic Reaction : Oxygen reduction (acid solution)

O2 + 4H+ + 4e- ---> 2H2O

Oxygen reduction (neutral solution)

O2 + 2H2O + 4e- ---> 4OH2H+ + 2e- ----> H2

Hydrogen evolution

Rust Formation : 4Fe2+ + 8OH- ---> 4Fe(OH)2 4Fe(OH)2 + O2 +2H2O ----> 4Fe(OH)3
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Corrosion Corrodant Chlorides Acid forming compounds Hydrogen sulphide Oxygen Bacteria

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Corrosion Corrodant-chlorides

Chlorides- act as the conductive ion, severe with presence of oxidizing agent Source : sodium chloride / calcium chloride / seawater -in solution / as products in the reservoir Mode of attack - localized and external corrosion - pressure vessels, structural components and piping system Mitigation materials (hastelloy B, tantalum) coatings or inhibitors

** tantalum almost parallels to corrosion resistance of glass

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Corrosion Corrodant-acid forming compounds

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Acid forming compounds Dry CO2 is non-corrosive. CO2 and water forms carbonic acid, which is extremely corrosive

Source: present in some oil and gas reservoirs

Mode of attack-the exposed area is rapidly corroded Mitigation : materials ( SS-nitric acid, steel - con. sulfuric acid),
coatings or inhibitors

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Corrosion Corrodant hydrogen sulphide

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Hydrogen Sulphide usually exists in gas phase

Source : reservoirs - designated as sour reservoirs

Mode of attack - corrosion cracking

Mitigation : Inhibitor- reaction with caustic (sodium hydroxide), lime, iron oxide, sodium carbonate

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Corrosion Corrodant-oxygen
Anode : 4Fe - 8e ------- 4 Fe++ Cathode : 2O2 + 4H20 ----8OH 2H+ + 2e- ------ H2 4Fe++ + 8OH -------- 4Fe(OH)2 4Fe(OH)2 + O2 +2H2O --4Fe(OH)3

Oxygen - the oxygen will react with the ferric ions to form insoluble ferric hydroxide - will easily combine with hydrogen atoms at the cathode
Without oxygen, the energy it takes to evolve hydrogen gas from the cathode is a major bottleneck in the corrosion reaction

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Corrosion Corrodant-oxygen
Source: partially treated surface water or through leakage
into low pressure tanks or vessels that are on vacuum, separations facilities exposed to air

Mode of attack : surface corrosion / pitting (pinhole leak) Mitigation physical processes (gas stripping or vacuum deaeration) chemical processes (oxygen scavenging using ammonium bisulphite)

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Corrosion Corrodant-bacteria
Bacteria

Aerobic (require oxygen) iron oxidising bacteria or

Anaerobic (not require oxygen) - sulphate reducing bacteria (SRB)

Source: seawater or hydrotest water Mode of attack : During fermentation, SRB produce lactate, a source of sulphur react with iron Electrochemical reactions take place at the anode - steel loses the iron into solution -react w sulphate ions in solution (Fe + 2H+ Fe2+ +H) Iron sulphide - corrosion product Iron sulphide scale adhere to the steel component -set up a microenvironment where the bacteria will flourish Mitigation : biocide treatment
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Corrosion Corrodant

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END

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Advantages of corrosion
Etching

key in high strength steel to structural concrete.

Anodizing

Car Battery Cathodic protection

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Advantages of Corrosion

With some metals, like aluminum, surface corrosion forms an oxide layer which protects the metal from being consumed by corrosion. This is the principle behind "anodizing" steel to guard against rust. Some metals, like zinc, attract corrosion due to their (di-) electrical properties. That's why many metal structures (steel/copper) which are exposed to salt water (spray) include sacrificial zinc "anodes" (basically a block of zinc screwed to the structure) to divert the corrosion away from the main structure. Anodizing also like the corrosion process,so it can be advantage of corrosion process. Anodizing, or anodising in British English, is an electrolytic passivation process used to increase the thickness of the natural oxide layer on the surface of metal parts. The process is called "anodizing" because the part to be treated forms the anode electrode of an electrical circuit. Anodizing increases corrosion resistance and wear resistance, and provides better adhesion for paint primers and glues than bare metal.

2. Corrosives are used to etch glass. Etching refers to the technique of creating art on the surface of glass by applying acidic, caustic, or abrasive substances. Traditionally this was done after the glass was blown or cast. 3. One such instance of corrosion being good is concrete to metal bonding where slight or measured corrosion is required to key in high strength steel to structural concrete.