Corrosion Resistant Nickel Alloys
Corrosion Resistant Nickel Alloys
About Manufacturer
Heanjia Super-Metals founded in 1984, has been serving the industries such as aerospace, oil and
gas, communication, nuclear, aviation, medical and others by supplying nickel based superalloys.
These superalloys are made as per ASTM standards, following the goal of meeting the stringent
needs of demanding industries. We are located in America and China. Earlier the alloys made by
following the traditional techniques were less corrosion resistant. With the passage of time and
introduction of modern methods to save cost and reduce material quantity, the applications include
severe corrosive conditions which need high performance alloys. Therefore we manufacture original
nickel and nickel alloys that are excellent in performing in the high temperature corrosive conditions
for the prolong periods.
Address:
China
Add: Yinling International, Wanjing West Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 86- 134-2631-5876
US
Call: 12068907337
Web: www.super-metals.com
Alloys Tested
Nickel
Inconel Alloy 600
Nimonic Alloy 75
Monel 400
Monel K500
CuNi alloy 90/10 UNS 706
CuNi Alloy 70/30 UNS 715
Incoloy 800
Stainless steel 316
Stainless Steel 316l
Stainless steel 310
Stainless steel 330
Incoloy 825
Hastelloy C276
Inconel 625
Introduction to Alkali Media
Caustic Soda
Nickel 201 is a successful container material for handling liquefied caustic soda at temperature limits
580oC or 1076oF.
Nickel-Chromium Alloys
Monel 400 and Monel K-500 can be attacked by stress corrosion cracking (SCC) in the extensive
exposure periods at high stresses with elevated temperatures and contents of caustic soda. In the
cold processed and annealed form, alloy 400 is resistant to SCC. Similar is with Monel K500.
Therefore for using Alloy 400 in caustic at the high temperatures, it should be stress relieved from
538 to 566oC or 1000oF to 1050oF or anneal from 760oC to 816oC or 1400of to 1500oF for one to
three hours to obtain high strength.
Copper-Nickel Alloys
The corrosion resistance strength of copper-nickel alloys in caustic soda solutions depends on the
concentration of nickel in the alloy. Cu Ni alloy 715 containing 70% copper and 30% nickel, offers
outstanding resistance to dilute concentrations of caustic soda at low temperatures and has
significant corrosion resistance properties in caustic soda solutions about 73% at the boiling
temperature. Alloy 715 has been lucratively employed as evaporator tubes for concentration up to
50% where copper attack by caustic soda could be controlled.
Cu-Ni alloy 706 containing copper 90% and nickel 10% offers considerable resistance to caustic
solutions however its use is more limited than alloy 715. In the severe caustic solution applications in
the presence of sulfur, Cu Ni alloy 715 resists the corrosion in specific conditions.
Iron-Nickel-Chromium Alloys
Incoloy 800 and Inconel 600 have similar resistance in caustic soda solutions. Although, alloy 800 is
more inclined to SCC than In 600. Therefore Alloy 800 is recommended for use after stress annealing
to obtain higher strength in caustic soda conditions at the high temperatures.
Austenitic chromium-nickel stainless steels have good corrosion resistance in boiling caustic soda
about 10% concentrations. In the high content solutions at the elevated temperatures, the corrosion
rates are irregular. SS 304 offers better corrosion resistance than SS 316 in caustic soda solutions.
Chromium-nickel stainless steels are sensitive to stress corrosion cracking in caustic soda at the high
temperatures. Many cases of stress corrosion cracking of austenitic stainless steels are resulted by
alkalies. Annealed steel 304 is more resistant to SCC in boiling caustic soda than sensitized steel 304.
Incoloy 825 and other nickel based alloys containing iron, chromium, copper and molybdenum offer
suitable corrosion resistance. Austenitic stainless steels containing nickel and chromium like SS 304
and Inconel alloy 600 offer good resistance to caustic soda solutions. These offer superior resistance
to stainless steel 304 in concentrated solutions exceeding 95oC or 205oF. For using these alloys in
combination with nickel and high nickel alloys in the concentrated caustic soda environments at the
high temperatures, preference should be given to unlike alloys to avoid deleterious galvanic effects.
The alloys like Hastelloy B, Hastelloy C276 and Inconel 625 have not been employed on a wide scale
in the caustic soda media. Hastelloy B can be used in caustic media up to 50% at boiling point and
the temperature for Alloy C276 is lower than for alloy B. Hastelloy C and Inconel 625 are both
attacked by stress corrosion after seven days in 90% caustic soda at 300oC or 572oF.
Caustic potash is made while the electrolysis of potassium chloride. KOH is commonly used in 45 to
50% and 85 to 90% concentrations on the industrial scale. At concentration above 50% caustic
potash exhibits higher boiling point than caustic soda of the same content. Therefore it is not
concentrated more than 90% due to involvement of elevated temperatures.
Nickel 200 and Inconel 600 are ideally used for applications in hot caustic potash. In the extensive
environments, few nickel based alloys are prone to stress corrosion cracking in caustic potash
solutions. Although the attack on alloy 600, alloy 400 and alloy k500 is not vigorous as that happens
with caustic soda.
Many nickel based alloys excluding the nickel-copper alloys and pure nickel, offer resistance to the
whole concentrations of ammonium hydroxide up to boiling temperatures.
In the nickel based alloys, austenitic stainless steels are commonly used in ammonia and ammonium
hydroxide solutions. Austenitic stainless steels have outstanding resistance to whole magnitudes of
ammonia and ammonium hydroxide to the boiling temperature.
The salts like sodium sulfide, sodium carbonate, sodium silicates, trisodium phosphate and various
others produce alkaline water solutions. These salt solutions can be used with the materials as for
caustic soda. The low temperature dilute solutions are not highly attacking to carbon steels and
these may be treated as corrosion preventers, however in strong solutions at the elevated
temperatures, nickel or high nickel alloys are often required.
Monel 400 and austenitic stainless steels are great for use in phosphate hydrations. Nickel and high
nickel alloys provide great corrosion resistance in sodium sulfide solutions. In 10% sodium sulfide,
the corrosion rates are very nominal. The vigorous corrosive conditions occur in hot, concentrated
solutions.
Nickel 200 and Monel 400 are suitable for use in 25 to 60% sodium sulfide solutions.
Inconel 600 is significant for applications involving direct fired pans of concentrated sodium sulfide
from 25% to 60%. For the application temperatures about 150oC to 177oC or 300of to 350of,
Inconel 600 offers suitable service for 8 years.
In the regular vacuum content and manufacturing anhydrous caustic soda, Nickel 201 offers
outstanding performance as evaporator tubes, tube sheets and shells, receiving tanks and pipes.
Inconel 600 has been widely employed in the production of anhydrous caustic soda and is a
recommended material of construction where the heating is done in any media in which the sulfur
compounds are available. Nickel Inconel 600 is initially stress relieved or annealed before using in
this application.
Nickel and nickel alloys are used in manufacturing caustic potash in the same manner as used in
manufacturing caustic soda. The difference lies in the boiling temperature which caustic potash
possesses at content above 50%. Cathodic protection is provided to low carbon Nickel 201 due to
introduction of high temperature to the equipment that is chosen for manufacturing caustic potash
at 90% contents and more.
Nickel and nickel clad steel barrels are employed while moving caustic soda in small magnitudes.
Generally, nickel plated steel tanks and pipes are also used. Incoloy alloy 825 and Inconel 600 are
also selected for carrying 50% to 73% caustic solutions and ammonia base fertilizers or jet fuel.
Nickel 200, Monel 400 and Inconel 600 are also used in pumping in handling 50% caustic soda. Nickel
200 heat exchangers, pumps and pipes are used in handling 73% caustic products.
Soap Production
Soaps contain alkalis, fatty acids and fatty oils. Caustic potash is used to produce liquid soap. In the
specific high grade soaps, pure caustics are used in corrosion resistance apparatus. Nickel 200,
Monel 400, SS 304 and SS 316 are used for heating coils, kettle covers and different accessory
equipments. Alloy 400 and Nickel 200 are employed for acid and caustic treating tanks as these are
resistant in such conditions. Austenitic chromium-nickel stainless steel and Inconel 600 are also
employed but pitting is a trouble in some conditions. SS 316 is used as a hydrolyzing tower
maintained at 232oC to 260oC or 450oF to 500oF and 600 psi and 700 psi.
Pulp and Paper industry
Hundreds of thousand tons of caustic soda is used in pulp and paper industry, basically in extraction
of alkali- soluble impurities in multistage bleaching. In
the following parts, nickel based alloys are commonly
used in an advantageous manner.
Liquor Heaters
The heat exchanger tubes are utilized to heat the digester liquor before pouring it into batch and
continuous digesters. Use of stainless steel 304 is proven in this application. Moreover Inconel 600
offers superior performance as exchanger tubes to SS 304 while resisting the stress corrosion
cracking induced by chlorides.
Aluminum industry
Caustic soda is also extensively used by aluminum industry in the extraction of hydrated alumina
from bauxite during the Bayer process. Monel 400 tubes have been commonly used for digester
preheaters and insert ferrules to prevent inlet corrosion in the other steel preheater tubing. In the
modern methods ores with large boehmite content are used that need higher operation pressure
and temperature limits which indicate the use of nickel and nickel clad steel for this purpose.
Caustic Fusions
Nickel 200 and 201 are the significant materials for use in construction vessels for the caustic fusion
of organic materials. For temperatures above 316oC or 600of, low carbon grade nickel 201 is
recommended. For the processes including sulfur compounds at temperatures above 250oC to
300oC or 482 to 572oF, use of Inconel 600 is preferred over nickel.
Petroleum refining
Caustic soda, caustic potash or sodium carbonates are utilized in the petroleum refining process for
neutralization of acid and elimination of unnecessary agents like hydrogen sulfide and mercaptans.
The magnitudes of aqueous solution vary from 2 to 50%.
In the various applications involving small temperature and content limits, the corrosion rates are
nominal that steels can be suitably employed. But for vigorous corrosive conditions, Nickel 200,
Monel 400 or Inconel 600 alloys are employed. Commonly Monel 400 is employed as it withstands
contaminants that exist in the process.
In the reproduction of caustic solutions, Monel 400 is a crucial part of the system where steels
cannot be used. These parts are regenerator boiler, preheaters and piping for handling hot caustic
solutions and lower sections of the towers.
Considering the suitable corrosion resistance to caustic alkalis comprising of hydrogen sulfide and
mercaptans, Inconel 600 is also significant in evaporator tubing or other components of regenerator
systems. Alloy 600, instead Nickel 200 or alloy 400, is employed in this application where metal
temperature varies up to 300oC or 572oF. At such temperature limits Nickel 200 and Monel 400 are
attacked by sulfur.
A caustic stripper in Louisiana refinery, made of Monel 400, attained no significant metal loss after
4.5 years of operation of handling 45% caustic soda at temperatures about 143oC to 149oC or 290of
to 300of. It can even provide service for another 15 years.
In a refinery located at Texas, mercaptains are discarded through Dualayer process that includes
dual layers of immiscible solvents. The initial layer consists of water solution of caustic potash and
potassium cresylate, discards the mercaptans. Second and beneath layer is also a water solution of
caustic potash for preserving the magnitude of above layer. Monel 400 was employed in stripper
preheater, reboiler and stripping tower trays in cast form. It is also used in lining the tower in stress
relieved condition. This system provides service for 20 years.
Caustic Descaling
Various procedures include liquefied caustic soda for commercial application for descaling of
different metals and alloys, specifically stainless steels. Few procedures include the inclusion of
caustic of reducing materials to decrease the metallic oxides which later flake off after water cooling.
Nickel 201 is employed in sodium hydride generators. Alloy 201 and Inconel 600 are employed for
enclosing of electric heating elements in caustic baths. Nickel alloy 600 is chosen for gas fired heater
tubing in few conditions. Nickel 201 is employed when the caustic baths are used at the elevated
temperatures up to 621oC or 1150oF.
Test data
Chemical composition of nickel alloys used in corrosion tests in caustic based conditions
Metal/Alloy Nickel Iron Chromium Molybdenum Copper Carbon Silicon Manganese Others
wrought
Nickel 200 99.5 % .15 % - - .05 % .06 % .05 % .25 % -
Nickel 201 99.5 % .15 % - - .05 % .01 % .05 % .20 % -
Duranickel 301 94 .15 % - - .15 % .55 % .25 % .25 % Al 4.5 %, TI
0.5 %
Nickel-chromium alloys
Inconel 600 76 % 7.2 % 15.8 % - .10 % .04 % .20 % .20 % -
Nimonic 75 77.4 .5 % 20.5 % - - .10 % - - Ti .35 %, Al
0.15 %
Nickel-copper alloys
Monel 400 66 % 1.35 - - 31.5 % .12 % .15 % .90 % -
%
Monel K500 65 % 1% - - 29.5 % .15 % .15 % .60 % Al 2.8 %, Ti
0.5 %
Copper-nickel alloys
UNS 706 10 1.25 - - 88 % - - .3 % Pb .05 %, Zn
% 1%
UNS 710 20 % .75 % - - 78 % - - .4 % Pb .05 %
UNS 715 30 % .55 % - - 67 % - - .5 % Pb .05 %
Iron-nickel-chromium alloys
Incoloy 800 32 % 46 % 20.5 % - .30 % .04 % .35 % .75 % -
Stainless steels
SS 202 5% 67 % 18 % - - .15 % 1% 8.7 % N 0.25 %
SS 302 9% 70.5 18 % - - .15 % .5 % 1.5 % -
%
SS 304 9.5 % 70 % 18 % - - .08 % .5 % 1.5 % -
SS 304l 10 % 69 % 18 % - - .03 % .5 % 1.3 % -
SS 316 13 % 65 % 17 % 2% - .08 % .5 % 1.7 % -
SS 316l 13 % 65 % 17 % 2% - .03 % .5 % 1.8 % -
SS 309 13.5 % 60.5 23 % - - .20 % 1% 2% -
%
SS 310 20 % 52 % 25 % - - .25 % 1% 2% -
SS 330 35 % 47 % 15 % - - .25 % 1% 2% -
SS 347 11 % 68 % 18 % - - .08 % 1% 2% Cb + Ta 10%,
C min.
SS 430 - Bal. 17 % - - .12 % - - -
Nickel based iron-chromium-molybdenum alloys
Incoloy 825 41.8 % 30 % 21.5 % 3% 1.8 % .03 % .35 % .65 % Al 0.5 %, Ti 0.9
%
Hastelloy G 45 % 19.5 22.2 % 6.5 % 2% .03 % .35 % 1.3 % W 0.5 %, Cb+
% Ta 2.12 %, Co
2.5 %
Hastelloy C 54 % 5% 15.5 % 16 % - .08 % 1% 1% Co 2.5 %, W 4
%, V 4%
Hastelloy C276 54 % 5% 15.5 % 16 % - .02 % .05 % 1% Co 2.5 %, W 4
%, V 0.4 %
Inconel 625 60 % 5% 21.5 % 9% - .10 % .5 % .5 % Cb – Ta 3.65 %
Nickel-Molybdenum alloy
Hastelloy b 61 % 5% 1% 28 % - .05 % - - Co 2.5 %, V 0.2
to 0.4 %, P
0.025 %
Corrosion rates for Nickel and High nickel alloys in caustic soda solutions
NaOH Temperature Aeration Agitation Time Remarks Corrosion rate, mills per year
wt oC oF Hour Nickel Monel Inconel
s 200 400 600
0.7 % 30 oC 86 oF None None 27 Cleaned, dried 0.01 0.01 nil
hrs daily for 30 days
4% 30 oC 86 oF None None 1&2 Average tests run 0.05 0.16 -
hrs at 8 separate labs
4% 30 oC 86 oF Air Air 1&2 Average tests run 0.05 0.21 -
agitated agitated hrs at 8 separate labs
5 to 10 21 to 32 70 to Extensiv Filling 124 Storage tank 0.15 0.31 0.05
% oC 90 oF e tank hrs
14 % 88 oC 190 oF None None 90 Multiple effect 0.02 0.05 0.03
hrs evaporator
22 % 50 to 60 120 to None Filling 133 Storage tank Nil 0.01 0.01
oC 140 oF tank hrs immersed 95% of
time
34 % 65 oC 150 oF High Nominal 37 Storage tank in 0.03 - 0.03
hrs which air was
bubbled from
bottom
30 to 50 81 oC 178 oF None None 16 Single effect 0.09 0.19 -
% hrs evaporator,
average rates
49 to 51 55 to 75 131 to None Filling 30 Storage tank fully 0.02 0.03 0.02
% oC 167 oF tank hrs immersed
50 % 55 to 61 131 to None Filling 135 Storage tank 0.02 0.02 0.02
oC 142 oF tank hrs
50 % 60 to 70 140 to Medium 100 gpm 393 Distribution 0.07 0.10 0.03
oC 158 oF flow from hrs piping, at pump
pump discharge
50 % 150 oC 302 oF none None 14 Lab test on - - 0.25
hrs tubing,
72 to 73 116 oC 273 oF None Filling 183 Storage tank 0.3 0.7 0.4
% tank hrs
72 % 121 oC 282 oF Medium Filling 119 Storage tank 0.1 0.3 0.1
tank hrs
73 % 95 to 100 203 to none 111 Test tank, 0.13 0.16 0.14
oC 212 oF hrs simulating action
Filling of tank car
tank
73 % 100 to 212 to none Filling 52 Storage tank 0.05 0.04 0.06
120 oC 248 oF tank hrs materials
immerse 95% of
period
73 % 104 to 244 to None Filling 126 Storage tank 0.02 0.10 0.01
116 oC 251 oF tank hrs coupons fully
immersed
74 % 130 oC 266 oF Not Movemen 7 to Coupons in 0.3 0.4 -
stated t of tank 9 railroad tank
car days
75 % 135 oC 271 oF Not Filling 35 Storage tnak 1.6 1.7 1.3
stated tank hrs among
evaporator and
finishing pots.
Ammonia soda
process
60 % 150 to 302 to None None 2 hrs Content in caustic 3.9 13.4 -
anhydro 260 oC 500 oF evaporator
us