DEPARTMENT OF PETRLUEM AND CHEMICAL

ENGINEERING

FPE 515; CORROSION ENGINEERING

ASSIGNMENT 1; CORROSION MECHANISMS

NAME: AHMED YUSSUF MOHAMED

REG NO: F22/44447/2017

DATE: 23RD NOVEMBER 2020

LECTURER: Eng. Dr. KENNETH D. NJOROGE

ABSTRACT
In this report, the different types of corrosion mechanism are discussed. In each type, a definition, how
the mechanism takes place, areas where its prominent and remedies of how to counter each type are
provided in each section. There is also images of how each type of corrosion affects components which
gives an idea of how corrosion is a very serious problem that needs abrupt solution.
At the end of the report, conclusion about those types of corrosion mechanism is discussed. The
information contained in this piece of writing is gathered from different resources and hence proper
citation is provided in the reference section.

INTRODUCTION
Corrosion is the destructive attack of a metal by chemical or electrochemical reaction with its
environment. Deterioration by physical causes is not called corrosion, but is described as erosion, galling,
or wear. In some instances, chemical attack accompanies physical deterioration, as described by the
following terms: corrosion – erosion, corrosive wear, or fretting corrosion. Nonmetals are not included in
this definition of corrosion.
Since corrosion involves chemical change, one must be familiar with principles of chemistry in order to
understand corrosion reactions. Because corrosion processes are mostly electrochemical, an
understanding of electrochemistry is also important. Furthermore, since structure and composition
of a metal often determine corrosion behavior, one should be familiar with the fundamentals of physical
metallurgy as well.
The main importance of learning and understanding the concept of corrosion engineering are: economics,
safety, and conservation.
The following are some common types of corrosion mechanisms and their preventive measures:

1) Uniform attack corrosion.

Definition: Uniform corrosion or general corrosion, as sometimes called, is defined as a type of corrosion
attack (deterioration) that is more or less uniformly distributed over the entire exposed surface of a metal.
Uniform corrosion also refers to the corrosion that proceeds at approximately the same rate over the
exposed metal surface .
Mechanism of uniform corrosion: When a metal is exposed to acidic(Ph<7) or basic(Ph>7) environment,
a random oxidation or reduction takes place on the surface of the metal and there is no preferential site or
location for cathodic or anodic reaction. The cathodes and anodes are located randomly and alternating
with time. The end result is a more or less uniform loss of dimension.
Prevention: Uniform corrosion can be prevented through a number of methods:

 Use thicker materials for corrosion allowance

 Use paints or metallic coatings such as plating, galvanizing or anodizing
 Use Corrosion inhibitors or modifying the environment

Cathodic protection (Sacrificial Anode or Impressed Current) and Anodic Protection

Below are figures that illustrations the uniform corrosion mechanism.

2) Galvanic corrosion

Definition: Galvanic corrosion, also known as bimetallic corrosion, is an electrochemical process

whereby one metal corrodes in preference to another metal that it is in contact with through an
electrolyte.

Mechanism: Galvanic corrosion occurs when two dissimilar metals are immersed in a conductive
solution and are electrically connected. One metal (the cathode) is protected, whilst the other (the
anode) is corroded. The rate of attack on the anode is accelerated, compared to the rate when the
metal is uncoupled. The potential difference (i.e., the voltage) between two dissimilar metals is the
driving force for the destructive attack on the active metal (anode). The conductivity of electrolyte
will also affect the degree of attack.

This mechanism usually takes place in areas where there is a joints btw different metals and also btw
screws and nuts.

Prevention: Galvanic corrosion can be prevented through a number of methods:

 Select metals/alloys as close together as possible in the galvanic series.

 Avoid unfavorable area effect of a small anode and large cathode.
 Insulate dissimilar metals wherever practical
 Apply coatings with caution. Paint the cathode (or both) and keep the coatings in good repair on
the anode.
 Avoid threaded joints for materials far apart in the galvanic series .
Below is illustration of how Galvanic corrosion takes place.
3) Crevice corrosion

Definition: Crevice Corrosion refers to the localized attack on a metal surface at, or immediately
adjacent to, the gap or crevice between two joining surfaces. The gap or crevice can be formed
between two metals or a metal and non-metallic material.
Mechanism: Crevice corrosion is initiated by a difference in concentration of some chemical
constituents, usually oxygen, which set up an electrochemical concentration cell
(differential aeration cell in the case of oxygen). Outside of the crevice (the cathode), the oxygen
content and the pH are higher - but chlorides are lower. Chlorides concentrate inside the crevice (the
anode), worsening the situation. Ferrous ions form ferric chloride and attack the stainless steel
rapidly. The pH and the oxygen content are lower in the crevice than in the bulk water solution, just
as they are inside a pit. The pH inside the crevice may be as low as 2 in a neutral solution. Once a
crevice has formed, the propagation mechanism for crevice corrosion is the same as for pitting
corrosion.

This type of corrosion takes place in All film-forming alloys whose corrosion resistance depend on
the stability of passive films. Examples are all grades of stainless steels and aluminum alloys.
Preventions: Crevice corrosion can be prevented out of the system by:
 Use welded butt joints instead of riveted or bolted joints in new equipment
 Eliminate crevices in existing lap joints by continuous welding or soldering
 Avoid creating stagnant conditions and ensure complete drainage in vessels
 Use solid, non-absorbent gaskets such as Teflon.
 Use higher alloys (ASTM G48) for increased resistance to crevice corrosion

Below is illustration of crevice corrosion.

4) Pitting corrosion

Definition: Pitting Corrosion is the localized corrosion of a metal surface confined to a point or small
area, that takes the form of cavities. Pitting corrosion is one of the most damaging forms of corrosion.

Pitting corrosion is usually found on passive metals and alloys such aluminium alloys, stainless steels
and stainless alloys when the ultra-thin passive film (oxide film) is chemically or mechanically
damaged and does not immediately re-passivate. The resulting pits can become wide and shallow or
narrow and deep which can rapidly perforate the wall thickness of a metal.
Mechanism: pitting corrosion is caused by the ENVIRONMENT (chemistry) that may contain
aggressive chemical species such as chloride. Chloride is particularly damaging to the passive film
(oxide) so pitting can initiate at oxide breaks.

The environment may also set up a differential aeration cell (a water droplet on the surface of a steel,
for example) and pitting can initiate at the anodic site (centre of the water droplet).
Prevention: Pitting corrosion can be prevented through:
 Proper selection of materials with known resistance to the service environment
 Control pH, chloride concentration and temperature
 Cathodic protection and/or Anodic Protection
 Use higher alloys (ASTM G48) for increased resistance to pitting corrosion
Below shows illustration of pitting corrosion:

5) Inter-Granular
Definition: Inter-granular corrosion, also known as inter-granular attack, is a form of corrosion where
the boundaries of crystallites of the material are more susceptible to corrosion than their insides. This
situation can happen in otherwise corrosion-resistant alloys, when the grain boundaries are depleted,
known as grain boundary depletion, of the corrosion-inhibiting elements such as chromium by some
mechanism.
Mechanisms: This type of attack results from local differences in composition, such as coring
commonly encountered in alloy castings. Grain boundary precipitation, notably chromium carbides in
stainless steels, is a well-recognized and accepted mechanism of intergranular corrosion .
Note: Intermetallic segregation at grain boundaries in aluminum alloys also causes intergranular
corrosion but with a different name - "exfoliation".
Prevention: Intergranular corrosion can be prevented through:

 Use low carbon (e.g. 304L, 316L) grade of stainless steels

 Use stabilized grades alloyed with titanium (for example type 321) or niobium (for example type
347). Titanium and niobium are strong carbide- formers. They react with the carbon to form the
corresponding carbides thereby preventing chromium depletion.
 Use post-weld heat treatment.
Below is figures that show how Intergranular corrosion takes place:

6) Selective Leaching
Definition: Selective leaching, also called dealloying, demetalification, parting and selective
corrosion, is a corrosion type in some solid solution alloys, when in suitable conditions a component
of the alloys is preferentially leached from the material. The less noble metal is removed from the
alloy by a microscopic-scale galvanic corrosion mechanism.
The most susceptible alloys are the ones containing metals with high distance between each other in
the galvanic series, e.g. copper and zinc in brass. The elements most typically undergoing selective
removal are zinc, aluminum, iron, cobalt, chromium, and others.
Prevention: Methods to counter selective leaching involve
 using alloys not susceptible to grain boundary depletion,
 using a suitable heat treatment, altering the environment (e.g. lowering oxygen content),
 use cathodic protection.
Below shows illustrations about selective leaching corrosion

7) Erosion Corrosion
Definition: Erosion corrosion is an acceleration in the rate of corrosion attack in metal due to the
relative motion of a corrosive fluid and a metal surface. The increased turbulence caused by pitting on
the internal surfaces of a tube can result in rapidly increasing erosion rates and eventually a leak.
Mechanisms: The mechanical effect of flow or velocity of a fluid combined with the corrosive action
of the fluid causes accelerated loss of metal. The initial stage involves the mechanical removal of a
metal's protective film and then corrosion of bare metal by a flowing corrosive occurs. The process is
cyclic until perforation of the component occurs.
Erosion-corrosion is usually found at high flow rates around tube blockages, tube inlet ends, or in
pump impellers.

Preventions: Erosion corrosion can be prevented through:

 streamline the piping to reduce turbulence

  control fluid velocity
 using more resistant materials
 using corrosion inhibitors or cathodic protection to minimize erosion corrosion
The images below shows the erosion corrosive effects:

8) STRESS CORROSION
Definition: Stress-corrosion occurs when a material exists in a relatively inert environment but
corrodes due to an applied stress. The stress may be externally applied or residual.
Mechanism: Stress corrosion results from the conjoint action of three components: (1) a susceptible
material; (2) a specific chemical species (environment) and (3) tensile stress. For example, copper and
its alloys are susceptible to ammonia compounds, mild steels are susceptible to alkalis and stainless
steels are susceptible to chlorides .
Preventions: Stress corrosion cracking can be prevented through:

 Avoid the chemical species that causes SCC.

 Control of hardness and stress level (residual or load).
 Introduce compressive stress by shot-peening for example.
 Use of materials known not to crack in the specified environment.
 Control operating temperature and/or the electrochemical potential of the alloy.

Below shows illustrations about stress corrosion process:

CONCLUSION
Corrosion is one of the main areas in which engineers specially petroleum engineers needs to focus as
it involves destruction of structural components such as pipelines and machine parts. This will cause
an economic constrains specially to less fortunate countries that cannot afford to bear such loss
caused by corrosion. It is a common problem faced by the whole world, therefore, needs a serious
discussion about it.
In my reports, I clearly discussed about several types of common corrosion problems and provided
some remedies to counter its effects on the day to day activities that takes place on the major projects
of any country.
I conclude that for any country that needs to control corrosion problems have to invest in researching
the common types of corrosion and educating its youths ways of preventing it.

REFERENCES

1) CORROSION AND CORROSION CONTROL, An Introduction to Corrosion Science and

Engineering. Fourth edition by R. Winston Revie and Herbert H. Uhlig.

2) Fundamentals of Corrosion Mechanisms, Causes, and Preventative Methods By Philip A.

Schweitzer

3) https://www.corrosionclinic.com/different_types_of_corrosion.htm, accessed on Friday 20th

November 2020 at 7pm.

4) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corrosion, accessed on Friday 20th November 2020 at 7pm.