• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.55-60
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• 2019

Corrosion failure in the convection part of peak load boiler (PLB) of the district heating system led to water leakage. Herein, Internal Rotary Inspection System (IRIS) inspection was employed to examine wall thinning and the cause of leakage in the flue tube. The corrosive products of the turbulator and tube were investigated using scanning electron microscope combined with energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and inductively coupled plasma (ICP). Majority of the serious corrosion damage was observed near the turbulator located in the upper flue tube. ICP analysis of the boiler water revealed oxide formation of sodium chloride in the lower end part of the flue tube. A cross-sectional view of the turbulator revealed the presence of double-layers of the oxide film, indicating environmental change during operation associated with water leakage. The outer surface of the turbulator consisted of the acid oxides such as $NO_x$ and $SO_x$ along with sodium and chloride ions. Dew-point corrosion is hypothesized as the main cause for the formation of acid oxides in the region of contact of the flue tube and the turbulator.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.183-188
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• 2021

The increasing demand for energy storage in mobile electronic devices and electric vehicles has emphasized the importance of electrochemical energy storage devices such as Li-ion batteries (LIBs) and supercapacitors. For reversible Li storage, alternative anode materials are actively being developed. In this study, we designed and fabricated an Nb₂O₅-Li₃VO₄ composite for use as an anode material in LIBs and hybrid supercapacitors. Nb₂O₅ powders were dissolved into a solution and the precursors were precipitated onto Li₃VO₄ through a simple, low-temperature hydrothermal reaction. The annealing process yielded an Nb₂O₅-Li₃VO₄ composite that was characterized by X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Electrochemical tests revealed that the Nb₂O₅-Li₃VO₄ composite electrode demonstrated increased capacities of approximately 350 and 140 mAh g^-1 at 0.1 and 5 C, respectively, were maintained up to 1000 cycles. The reversible capacity and rate capability of the composite electrode were enhanced compared to those of pure Nb₂O₅-based electrodes. These results can be attributed to the microstructure design of the synthesized composite material.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.204-209
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• 2021

Corrosion failure analysis of the flow plate, which is one of the accessories of the plate heat exchanger in a district heating system, was performed. The flow plate is made of 316 stainless steel, and water at different temperatures in the flow plate exchanges heat in a non-contact manner. The flow plate samples in which water mixing issues occurred were collected. Corrosion-induced pits, oxides, and contaminants were observed at locations where two plates are regularly in contact. The EDS analysis of the surface oxides and contaminants revealed that they were composed of carbon, silicon, and magnesium, which came from chemical adhesives. The IC/ICP analyses showed that the concentration of chloride ions was 30 ~ 40 ppm, which was not sufficient to cause corrosion of stainless steel. In the crevice, a local decrease in dissolved oxygen occurs along with an increase in chloride ions, thus forming an acidic environment. These environments destroyed the passive film of stainless steel, resulting in pits. Moreover, contaminants formed a narrower gap between the two metal plates and inhibited the diffusion of ions, thereby accelerating crevice corrosion.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.296-301
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• 2020

Failure analysis on the welded type 304 pipe used for cooling water piping in the district heating primary side was conducted. Inorganic elements and bacteria in the cooling water and in corrosion products were analyzed, and the weldment was inspected by microscopy and a sensitization test. Corrosion damages were observed in the heat-affected zone, on weld defects such as incomplete fusion or excessive penetration caused by improper welding, or/and at the 6 o'clock position along the pipe axial direction. However, the level of concentration of chloride in the cooling water as low as 80 ppm has been reported to be not enough for even a sensitized type 304 steel, meaning that the additional corrosive factor was required for these corrosion damages. The factor leading to these corrosion damages was drawn to be the metabolisms of the types of bacteria, which is proved by the detection of proton, sulfur containing species, biofilms, and both bacteria and corrosion product analyses.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.158-168
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• 2021

Austenitic 316 stainless steel was irradiated with protons accelerated by an energy of 2 MeV at 360 ℃, the various defects induced by this proton irradiation were characterized with microscopic equipment. In our observations irradiation defects such as dislocations and micro-voids were clearly revealed. The typical irradiation defects observed differed according to depth, indicating the evolution of irradiation defects follows the characteristics of radiation damage profiles that depend on depth. Surface oxidation tests were conducted under the simulated primary water conditions of a pressurized water reactor (PWR) to understand the role irradiation defects play in surface oxidation behavior and also to investigate the resultant irradiation assisted stress corrosion cracking (IASCC) susceptibility that occurs after exposure to PWR primary water. We found that Cr and Fe became depleted while Ni was enriched at the grain boundary beneath the surface oxidation layer both in the non-irradiated and proton-irradiated specimens. However, the degree of Cr/Fe depletion and Ni enrichment was much higher in the proton-irradiated sample than in the non-irradiated one owing to radiation-induced segregation and the irradiation defects. The microstructural and microchemical changes induced by proton irradiation all appear to significantly increase the susceptibility of austenitic 316 stainless steel to IASCC.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.426-434
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• 2021

The effect of two different annealing temperatures on the level of the second phase precipitated in the microstructure and the corrosion behaviors of super austenitic stainless steel were examined. The sample annealed at a higher temperature had a significantly lower fraction of the sigma phase enriched with Cr and Mo elements, showing more stable passivity behavior during the potentiodynamic polarization measurement. However, after the welding process with Inconel-type welding material, severe corrosion damage along the interface between the base metal and the weld metal was observed regardless of the annealing temperature. This was closely associated with the precipitation of the fine sigma phase with a high Mo concentration in the unmixed zone (UMZ) during the welding process, leading to the local depletion of Mo concentrations around the sigma phase. On the other hand, the fraction of the newly precipitated fine sigma phase in the UMZ was greatly reduced by post-weld heat treatment (PWHT), and the corrosion resistance was greatly improved. Based on the results, it is proposed that the alloy composition of welding materials and PWHT conditions should be further optimized to ensure the superior corrosion resistance of welded super austenitic stainless steel.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.451-465
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• 2021

In this investigation, electrochemical characteristics and damage behavior of 316L stainless steel polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell(PEMFC) were analyzed by potentiodynamic and potentiostatic tests in cathode operating condition of PEMFC. As the result of potentiodynamic polarization test, range of passive region was larger than range of active region. In the result of potentiostatic test, damage depth and width, pit volume, and surface roughness were increased 1.57, 1.27, 2.48, and 1.34 times, respectively, at 1.2 V compared to 0.6 V at 24 hours. Also, as a result of linear regression analysis of damage depth and width graph, trend lines of damage depth and width according to applied potentials were 16.6 and 14.3 times larger, respectively. This demonstrated that applied potential had a greater effect on pitting damage depth of 316L stainless steel. The damage tendency values were 0.329 at 6 hours and 0.633 at 24 hours with applied potentials, representing rapid growth in depth direction according to the test times and applied potentials. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed that surface of specimen exhibited clear pitting damage with test times and applied potentials, which was thought to be because a stable oxide film was formed by Cr and Mo.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.230-241
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• 2022

Austenitic stainless steel has been widely used because of its good corrosion resistance and mechanical properties. However, intergranular corrosion can occur if the alloy is welded or aged. The objective of this study was to determine intergranular corrosion behaviors of austenitic medium carbon (0.05 wt%) and low carbon (0.02 wt%) stainless steel aged at several conditions. Alloys were evaluated according to ASTM A262 Practice A, ISO 12732 DL-EPR (double loop-electrochemical potentiokinetic reactivation) test, and ASTM A262 Practice C. The degree of sensitization and intergranular corrosion rate were obtained. The relationship between the degree of sensitization and the intergranular corrosion rate showed a very large fluctuation. Such behavior might be related to whether two-dimension tests or three-dimension tests were performed. On the other hand, regardless of carbon content of alloys, when the intergranular corrosion rate increased, the degree of sensitization also increased. However, the DL-EPR test showed a higher sensitivity than the Huey test for differentiating the intergranular corrosion property at a low intergranular corrosion rate, while the Huey test had a higher sensitivity than the DL-EPR test for distinguishing the intergranular corrosion property at a high intergranular corrosion rate.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.130-137
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• 2022

In this work, the degradation of high-pressure superheater tubes exposed to the flame of a duct burner in a heat recovery steam generator of a district heating system was evaluated. To assess the deterioration of the used superheater tube, the microstructure, microhardness, and tensile properties were investigated by comparison to an unused tube. The study found that a fin bound at the outer surface of the used tube became fragile only in the location facing the flame. This indicates that the tube was directly exposed to the flame from the duct burner or underwent abnormal overheating. While the unused tube showed a uniform value in hardness and equiaxial grain structure, the used tube revealed a decrease in hardness up to 105 HV and an increase in grain size with a plate-like morphology in the location facing the flame. The coarsening of the grain structure by the flame weakened the mechanical properties of yield strength, tensile strength, and elongation.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.335-346
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• 2021

Since epoxy resin coating shows excellent properties in formability, adhesion, and corrosion resistance, they have been extensively used in many industries. However, various types of damages in the epoxy coated tube within a relative short time have been reported due to cavitation erosion, liquid impingement, variation of temperature and pressure. Nevertheless, there has been little research on the effect of temperature on the cavitation degradation of epoxy coatings. Therefore, this work used an ultrasonic cavitation tester to focus on the effect of solution temperature on the cavitation properties of 3 kinds of epoxy coatings in 3.5% NaCl. The cavitation properties were discussed basis on the material properties and environmental aspects. As the solution temperature increased, even though with large fluctuation, the cavitation degradation rates of A and B coatings were reduced rapidly, but the rate of C coating was decreased gradually. In addition to the cushioning effect, the reason that the cavitation degradation rate reduced with solution temperature was partly related to the brittle fracture and water absorptivity of the epoxy coatings, and the water density, but was little related to the shape and composition of the compound in the coatings or the phase transition of the epoxy coating.