Water-induced corrosion damage of carbon steel in sulfolane

Abstract

Sulfolane in contact with water and oxygen forms acidic (by-) products that are major factors in accelerating the corrosion of carbon/stainless steel. In consequence, water-induced corrosion damage can be a serious problem in industrial systems. Hence, the determination of the corrosion resistance of AISI 1010 steel immersed in sulfolane containing 0 to 6 vol.% water was the principal objective of the study. Evaluation of the corrosion resistance of steel electrodes was performed using a potentiodynamic technique and scanning Kelvin probe microscopy. It was observed that the corrosion products layer that formed on the surface of AISI 1010 steel partially protects it against corrosion in sulfolane with a water concentration in the range from 1 vol.% to 4 vol.%. Interestingly, amounts of water above 4 vol.% cause a break-down of the corrosion products layer and deteriorate the corrosion resistance of AISI 1010 steel as well. Moreover, the relationship between the fractal dimension, corrosion degree of the steel surface and water concentration in sulfolane was investigated. The fractal dimension was determined using 2D grayscale images of AISI 1010 steel registered through a scanning electron microscope. It was noticed that both the fractal dimension and the corrosion degree rose with the increased water concentration in sulfolane.