Simulated Service Testing

G.P. Chaudhari
 Introduction
• After actual service experience, SST is most
reliably predicts the corrosion behaviour.
– Involves exposure to natural environments.
• Natural environments
• Atmosphere
• Water
• Soil
-Most natural environments can not be duplicated in
labs.
• Objectives can be
• materials selection
• service life prediction
• evaluation of new alloy/ process
• calibration of laboratory corrosion test
 Corrosion Testing in Atmospheres
• Natural degradation
• Man-made sources of corrodants
SOx, NOx ---combustion by-products
acid deposition problem
• Types of atmospheres
– Rural
• contains dust but does not contain chemical pollutants, corrodants
are moisture, CO2 and O2
• least corrosive atmosphere.
– Urban
• SOx, NOx emitteed by fuels
– Industrial
• SO2, chlorides, phosphates, nitrates etc effluents, these combine
with rain/dew to form corrosive liquid
– Marine
• sea salt particles carried by winds, wind direction velocity and
distance from the shore decides.
• Relative corrosivity of atmospheres: at different places in
the world. wt. loss/ year
Conducting Atmospheric Corrosion Tests
• purpose:
– general corrosion behavior of material, or pitting, galvanic
effects, SCC, coating colour discoloration, etc
• Material to be exposed:
– Expose the material to be evaluated along with a Reference
(control) marterial with prior record in the same environment.
Number of specimens = f(exposure period, no. of scheduled
removals), no reuse of specimens
• Specimens:
– ASTM and ISO guidelines for specimen design, cleaning
procedures, evaluation, ID-stamping, drilled holes, side notches,
plastic tags
• Exposure guidelines:
– test racks- panels, U-bends, specimen isolation except in
galvanic corrosion test, Convention for specimen orientation-
northern hemisphere- specimen faces south and vice versa,
ASTM G50: 30 degrees to horizontal, 45 degree in Europe
• Evaluation of results:
– documentation of results and observations: Photographic,
corrosion product analysis, weight loss, pitting and localized
corrosion, rust stain, Tensile tests, appearance
 Corrosion Testing in Water
• Water may be natural or treated
• For QC or acceptance tests:
– specific water chemistry is required. Water testing is must---
sources may vary.
• Other purposes:
– flexibility is permitted, immersion in water body, placement in
conduit etc. depending on corrosion influencing factors.
• Test method selection and precautions:
– pipelines with flowing water--cann't be simulated with immersion
tests or alternate immersion tests.
– laboratory test loop with process fluids and T and velocities---
better results
• Test specimens:
– solution volume to specimen area ratio, weldments/projection
incorporation
• Effect of water variables:
– aeration, oxygen solubility, T differentials at two points=>
differential ionic activity, carbonate scaling in natural waters
 Methods of Analysis
• ASTM standards: some examples
• ASTM G78: Standard guide for crevice corrosion testing of
Fe based and Ni based stainless alloys in seawater
• For pH of water- standardize the equipment using 2 standard
reference buffer solutions (ASTM D1293)
• ASTM E 645: Std test method for efficacy of microbiocides
used in cooling systems.
• ASTM D 2688: Std test methods for corrosivity of water in
absence of heat transfer (wt. loss methods)
• NACE Standards
• TM-02-74: Dynamic corrosion testing of metals in high
temperature water- used in steam plants, water cooled
nuclear reactors
• RP-07-75: Preparation and installation of corrosion coupons
and interpretation of test data in oil production practice.
 Corrosion Testing in Soil
• Learning objectives:
– specimen design, preparation, burial, retrieval
techniques
• Undisturbed soils: less O2 for cathodic reaction,
low corrosion, eg steel driven into the soil
• Disturbed soil: O2 available eg .metal burial by
backfilling ............more common
– Soil Characteristics: resistivity, pH, composition (salts?))
 Soil Characteristics
• soils are complex, dynamic systems
– factors
• rains (seasons), plant growth, animal life
• artificial factors- building works, roads, electrification lines,
farming, waste disposal etc
– Soil characterization and it’s correlation to corrosion is
extremely difficult
– Corrosivity of soils is different for different metals!
– Soil Properties- some general aspects
• resistivity- very important, f([salts], diffusivity)
– controls diffusivity of ions and hence CR
• composition of salts:
– chlorides (break passive films)
– Cu ions (bad for Al)
– sulphates (O2 for bacterial corrosion)
– carbonates (affect pH)
 Soil Characteristics- contd
• pH is mostly stable-
• soluble minerals act as buffers
– pH can vary from 5 to 10
• does not affect uniform and pitting corrosion
– affects H embrittlement of ferrous
– Zn, Cu, Al are attcked at low and high pH
• So useful to measure soil pH
• How soil corrosivity is influenced
simultaneously by pH, resistivity and
composition is complex and not
understood
– eg. higher soil temperature Opposing
– decreases O2 solubility=> decreases CR effects
– decreases resistivity => increases CR
Soil Corrosion Testing Methods
– Bury few specimens in the soil of interest
– Retrieve after periodic intervals
– Physical tests- weight loss
– Electrochemical tests- in-situ
– Keep records
 Specimen Preparation
• Design
– f(test objectives)
• U or C bends- SCC, H embrittlement
• pipe/plate(tank), weld, G. couples
• control specimens
– can be uncoated to evaluate a coating
– and unstressed to evaluate SCC
• Steps-
• ID (stamp/notch/plastic tags)
• Cleaning and weighing
• electrical contact 1.9mm insulated conductors- solder/bolt &
insulate by coating
 Specimen Burial
• dig a trench
• put 3-4 specimens 1 feet apart
• remove after a year
• dig another trench
• put 3-4 specimens 1 feet apart
• remove after 4 years etc
• Tying/wood posts/metal stakes
– to facilitate retrieval
• nylon rope 3mm dia, tie to every specimen in a
group
• use metal detectors for metal stakes
• conductors with IDs attached to posts
• Accurate mapping of the area
 Corrosion Measurements
• Interest is to determine CR
– weight loss over a period
– rate of pit growth
– Cracking
 Uniform Corrosion
• mass loss
• long exposures needed for measurable
loss
• ASTM G1 fo preparing, claning and
evaluating- proper balance capacity
• Rp technique
– resistive medium, so iR correction required for
measurement error elimination
 Pitting Corrosion
• not by electrical measurements
• measure pit depth ASTM G 46
• shallow pits- pit micrometers
• narrow deep pits- insert wire of known length OR
cross-section exam by optical microscope
• measure deepest pits over a time period
• need multiple specimens retrieved after specific
time
• calculate rate of maximum pit growth
• Sometimes pits distribution is also needed.
 SCC and H embrittlement
• Physical measurements
• prestressing specimens before burial
• electrically insulated fixtures/bolts
• H embrittlement pre-stressed specimen
– can be charged using sacrificial anode
– monitor the potential and galvanic current of
specimen
 Specimen Retrieval
• Care needed
– avoid
• losing the ID
• damage to the mass
– clean and dry, if necessary upon removal