Erosion Corrosion

Erosion corrosion is an acceleration in the rate of corrosion

attack in metal due to the relative motion of a corrosive
fluid and a metal surface. The increased turbulence
caused by pitting on the internal surfaces of a tube can
result in rapidly increasing erosion rates and eventually a
leak.
Erosion corrosion refers tothe combined action involving
erosionand corrosion in the presence of a moving
corrosive fluid or a metal component moving through the
fluid, leading to accelerated loss of metal.

What Causes Erosion Corrosion?

The mechanical effect of flow or velocity of
afluidcombined with the corrosive action of the fluid
causes accelerated loss of metal. The initial stage
involves the mechanical removal of a metal's protective
film and then corrosion of bare metal by a flowing
corrosive occurs. The process is cyclic until perforation
of the component occurs.
Erosion-corrosion is usually found at highflowrates
around tube blockages, tube inlet ends, or in pump
impellers.
Cavitation-corrosion is a special form oferosioncorrosion. It is caused by water bubbles produced by a
high-speed impeller, which then collapse and cause pits

Mechanism of Erosion Corosion

Cavitation Erosion
Cavitation erosion its a continuous loss of material by the
impact of cavitation under the influence of erosion.
Cavitation damage its degradation of solid body caused by
cavitation. The damage appears in the form of loss of material,
change in appearance, surface deformation or changes in
properties. It takes place when velocity becomes so high that
its static pressure is lower than the vapor pressure of liquid

Characterization of Cavitation
Damage
The following are the characteristics of damage caused
by cavitation corrosion:
Honeycombed surface of the metal
Absence of corrosion product on the surface
Occurrence of the attack in very sharply defined areas
with a very sharo boundary between the affected and
the unaffected metal
Difference in the intensity of attack on two sides of the
exposed surface

Environmental Factors Affecting

Cavitation Damage
Amount of entrained air
Presence of dust particles
Temperature
Corrosiveness of media
Selection of materials

Mechanism of Cavitation

Prevention of Cavitation Damage

Using material resistant to cavitation damage
Changes in design
Reducing the amount of entrained air
Avoiding dust particles and other impurities
Optimizing operation conditions
Adding inhibitors