Lecture # 17-18

MAINTENANCE ENGINEERING
&
INDUSTRIAL MANAGEMENT
CH-371
INSTRUCTOR: ENGR. RAMESHA TARIQ
2022 SPRING SEMESTER

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

GHULAM ISHAQ KHAN INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY
 CORROSION
Gradual destruction / deterioration of
materials (usually a metal)

• A natural process that converts metals into

more chemically stable compounds; like:
Oxide, hydroxide, or sulfide.
• Corrosion is caused because of chemical or
electrochemical reactions with some elements
present in the environment.
• Iron, water and oxygen are essential
ingredients for rusting.
• Rusting is a complex process, but a simplified
chemical equation:
4Fe + 3O2 + 6H2O → 4Fe(OH)3
 CORROSION
Examples of Corrosion include: Rusting of iron and steel, pitting of turbine
blades and chalking of paint
All materials used for building and construction (metals; inorganics like glass,
ceramics, or concrete; organics like rubber, paints, and plastics) corrode.
Corrosion damage describes all damage induced by corrosion; its cost runs to
many billions of dollars a year.
Corrosion damage impairs the function of equipment and structures.
Corrosion does not always lead to corrosion damage. A common example of
corrosion with hardly any damage is provided by railway rails: They are all
rusting without any appreciable damage.
Three different reactions may
cause rusting;
(i) Iron in the presence of O2 & H2O
forms Fe2O3 + xH2O.

(ii) Anodic reaction is a half

oxidation reaction by releasing
electrons, i.e., metal turns into
metal ions during Reaction.

(iii) Cathodic reaction occurs

when oxygen dissolved in water
accepts electrons.
 Factors Affecting Corrosion
Major factors determining type and extent of corrosion include:
• Temperature
• Medium which is in contact with the corroding material (For
example; air, gasoline, oil, water, engine coolant)
• Mechanical stresses
• Flow rates
• Electrical potential differences
 Main forms of Corrosion
Two main forms of corrosion:

1. Uniform Corrosion (loss of material per time per

surface area or loss of thickness per time).

2. Irregular or Localized Corrosion (uneven on the

surface).
Types of
Corrosion
 UNIFORM CORROSION
 It is the type of corrosion that proceeds at approximately the same
rate over the exposed metal surface.
 Cast irons and Steels corrode uniformly when exposed to open
atmospheres, soils and natural waters, leading to the rusty
appearance.
 For Example;
• Uniform corrosion (rusting) of a pair of steel nuts.
• Chalking of paints, which are degraded
uniformly by radiative oxidation in air.
 EROSION CORROSION
Uniform corrosion may proceed faster when there is a flow.
The flow rate velocity will locally reach high values if turbulent situations
occur, which will prevent the formation of protective layers on the metals.
Abrasive particles, in a stream of gas or liquid, may mechanically disrupt the
protective surface film and thus enhance corrosion, often in a non-uniform,
localized way.
 CAVITATION CORROSION
Cavitation corrosion is a specific type of erosion which results from formation
and collapse of tiny gas bubbles in liquid stream imploding on metal
surfaces.
It may mechanically destroy any protective layer, causing localized corrosion.
Erosion and cavitation corrosion are controlled by proper design and selection
of materials.
 GALVANIC CORROSION
 Galvanic corrosion occurs when two different metals are in contact
in the presence of a conductive solution.
 A potential difference may develop between areas on the metal
surface if foreign metals, for example, copper on iron, precipitate.
 The more active metal will oxidize more quickly in the galvanic
arrangement, while the inert or noble metal will essentially be
unaffected.
The Galvanic Series:
The greater the potential difference or
distance in the galvanic series between
two metals, the greater the tendency for
galvanic corrosion to result.
 GALVANIC CORROSION
The relative sizes of the anode (active metal) or cathode affect the
relationship between the active and inert metals significantly.
A small anode in the presence of a large cathode will corrode more
quickly than the opposite.
For Example; In Cast Iron, graphite is more inert than iron.
As a result, cast-iron pipe fittings eventually lose their strength
because the iron is lost to solution, leaving the weaker graphite
behind.
 GALVANIC CORROSION
How to avoid the galvanic action?
Keep dissimilar metals apart!
If it is unavoidable, then the metals which are similar or close together in the
galvanic series should be utilized.
OR
Interrupt the current flow!
This may be done by providing an insulating material between the two metals.
PITTING CORROSION
This is the result of galvanic action where the metal
surface appears to have pinholes.
The pit is the anode with surrounding surface as
cathode.
Pitting may occur as a result of:
1. Change in acidity of the pit area.
2. Differential aeration.
 PITTING CORROSION
1. pH of the immediate environment favors the
dissolution of ions. In most instances, the lower pH
causes the surface to corrode more easily than a
neutral or alkaline pH.
2. Differential Aeration occurs as most solutions are in
contact with air. Where the metal surface contacts the
solution, the variation may cause the area with the
higher oxygen concentration to become a cathode
while an area of lower oxygen concentration
becomes the anode, resulting in localized attack.
Differential Aeration Corrosion
CREVICE CORROSION
Crevices are present in all equipment. They occur naturally around
bolts, rivets, etc.
They are also created by scratches on the metal surface.
Crevice corrosion may also occur where gaskets are used as the gasket
material absorbs and draws solution toward the reactive area.
Crevice corrosion is influenced by the same factors as pitting corrosion
and is, indeed, a specific form of pitting corrosion.
CREVICE CORROSION
In order to avoid crevice corrosion, materials should be chosen that are
corrosion-resistant.
Stainless steels are particularly liable to crevice corrosion and are thus
not recommended for use where this condition can occur.
Improper geometric design is the most common factor resulting in
damage from crevice corrosion.
 MICROBIOLOGICAL CORROSION
 Bacteria and especially fungi may grow in certain areas on the walls of water
tanks, pipes, etc.
 A corrosion may develop which often is a combination of crevice corrosion
due to reduced availability of air and chemical action from the metabolism
products, which are mostly acids.
 INTERGRANULAR CORROSION
• Metals usually are not homogeneous.
• Impurities or alloying elements may segregate in
grain boundaries.
• Heat treatment or localized heating by welding
may provoke changes in composition, localized in
or near grain boundaries.
 INTERGRANULAR CORROSION
• These inhomogeneities may drive galvanic corrosion along grain
boundaries, loosening up the metals.
For Example: Formation of chromium carbides in grain boundaries
during welding of stainless steels, and subsequently poor corrosion
resistance along the weld.
 STRESS CRACKING CORROSION
This type of corrosion is the result of stress to the metal due to
contraction after heating or during cold working, mechanical
impacts, de-alloying or environmental cracking
Most metals and alloys exhibit this type of corrosion.
Careful testing, therefore, is necessary during the design and
material selection process.
SELECTIVE LEACHING
It occurs when one of the components of a metal is more active
than the others.
The result is the selective removal of a particular component.
The best-known example of this is the selective removal of zinc
from brass, otherwise called Dezincification.
This results in significant weakening of the metal.
Dezincification is obvious because the color of the brass
turns from yellow to the pink-orange of copper.
SELECTIVE LEACHING
Dezincification may occur in two ways;
1. The plug dezincification is a superficial patch on the surface
which is readily removed by abrasion.
2. The layer dezincification occurs over the whole surface and is
generalized.
One factor which affects the type of dezincification is pH.
 The layer type dominates in acid pH ranges
 The plug form is prevalent in slightly acidic, neutral, or alkaline
ranges.
 INTERFILM CORROSION
Coatings, such as paints, conversion coating, or metallic coatings
may lose the adhesion with their substrate.
This may be due to diffusion through the actual coating or to
reaction starting from defects like pinholes or scratches.
Residues of soluble salts, acids, or bases will attract water through a
paint film because of the osmotic effect, and blisters filled with
water will form.
 INTERFILM CORROSION
Filiform corrosion is a wormlike delamination of a paint film, driven
by salt residues and high humidity.
Scab corrosion develops from paint defects. Corrosion proceeds
underneath the paint film; iron oxides, by their volume, build up
scabs.
 CORROSION OF POLYMERIC
MATERIALS
Plastics corrode by reaction with their environment.
Plastics may absorb solvents and thus change their properties.
And then, they may lose additives because of leaching or by
migration to the surface.
Polymers are degraded by photochemical oxidation which, for
example, produces the chalking of paint films.
CORROSION CONTROL
 CORROSION CONTROL
• MATERIAL SELECTION
• DESIGN
• CLEANING PRACTICES
• SPECIAL METHODS
◦ NEW SURFACES
◦ CATHODIC PROTECTION
◦ INHIBITORS
 Material Selection
Mechanical stability, chemical stability, operating
temperature, formability and cost are of major concern.
Coating, cladding, and sometimes cathodic protection may
be used to limit the damage.
To select a material, consult the data sheet of the materials
suppliers (MSDS) and their standards.
In order to prevent corrosion damage from galvanic
corrosion, great care has to be exercised when joining two
different metals.
 Design
Design must be such that;
• It should deal with incompatibilities between different materials.
• Maintenance and maintenance cleaning is feasible.
• It must prevent corrosion due to differential aeration, which will
induce crevice corrosion.
A material that is perfectly stable when immersed in a solution still may
experience severe crevice corrosion.
Design Favoring
Crevice Corrosion
 CLEANING PRACTICES
Maintenance cleaning is often done to remove corrosion products.
A scaled heat exchanger or a clogged nozzle are common examples of
corrosion products affecting performance.
 CLEANING PRACTICES
 Removal of dirt and scale is often done by using chemicals such as
acids.
 After cleaning, rinsing off the cleaning chemicals is a good practice.
 After cleaning and descaling, some temporary protection may be
needed.
 Normally, corrosion protective oils would be used on steel.
 NEW SURFACES
Coating the surface of the construction material changes the corrosion
performance.
For Example; Oils and greases, waxes, inorganic conversion coatings,
metallic layers produced by electroplating, painting, lining with plastic or
rubber, or some combination.
 Plating:
It combines the properties of the base material, often mechanical
stability and low cost with those of the coating metal, often
corrosion resistance or abrasion stability.
Plating with zinc, chromium, or nickel is a common method of
corrosion control.
 NEW SURFACES
 Conversion Coatings:
It is a type of coating used on metals in which the surface that is
covered is turned into a coating with electrochemical or chemical
processes.
Four types of conversion coatings:
Iron Phosphate, Zinc or Manganese Phosphate and Chromate.
The first three are used primarily on steel while the last one is for
aluminum, aluminum alloys, magnesium and zinc.
These coatings provide a good surface for paint adhesion and the
coating and paint combination provides corrosion resistance.
 CATHODIC PROTECTION
The effect of galvanic corrosion may be used with advantage by
electrically connecting a less noble, easily corroding metal with the
substrate to be protected.
Anodic dissolution will then proceed at the less noble metal; the other
will only act as cathode, hence the name “cathodic protection.”
 CATHODIC PROTECTION
It is used to protect pipes, storage tanks and ship propellers by
connecting them with a sacrificial electrode made of zinc or
magnesium alloys.
Painting the metal to be protected usually increases the lifetime of the
anodes.
As they are consumed, they must be replaced as part of maintenance.
CATHODIC PROTECTION
 INHIBITORS
The use of inhibitors is the most common method of preventing
corrosion.
Inhibitors are chemicals which are put into contact with (but do not
react with) either the metal substrate or the solution which contacts the
metal surface.
The type of inhibitor will vary depending on the metal and the function of
the solution or environment which contacts it.
Inhibitors may act by inhibiting the anodic reaction—metal dissolution
or the cathodic reaction—oxygen reduction.
INHIBITORS