INTRODUCTION

y Simply, corrosion is an electrochemical reaction and is defined as a chemical reaction involving the transfer of electrons. Mainly there are two reactions, oxidation and reduction; M Mn+ + ne Pq+ + qe y y P (Oxidation) Anode (Reduction) Cathode

There will be a flow of electricity from certain areas of the metal surface to other areas through a solution capable of conducting electricity. The term anode is used to describe the portion of the metal surface that is corroded and from which electrons leave the metal to enter the solution. The term cathode is used to describe the metal surface from which electrons leave the solution and return to the metal. Corrosion is influenced by several factors: METAL: Number of anode & cathode pairs Type and nature of the metal Metal and part processing ENVIRONMENTAL: Relative humidity Contaminants Temperature

Studying the corrosion will gain the knowledge needed for practical experiences in the industry, which it will be applicable acquired in this module to solve the cases. Aim of this experiment is to calculate the rate of corrosion of iron (Fe) under different conditions.

PROCEDURE
y y y y y y y y Six pieces of iron were provided They were numbered as 1, 2, 3.6 They were measured and calculated the surface area Six pieces of iron were cleaned using sand papers They were washed with distilled water and then a solution of acetone Six pieces were dried and weighted Pieces numbered as 4, 5 and 6 were wrapped with Magnesium (Mg), Zinc (Zn) and Tin (Sn) respectively Six iron pieces were placed in six clean beakers and treated as follows;

a) b) c) d) e) f) y y y

5cm3 of 6M HCl 5cm3 of 6M HCl with 0.15g of K2Cr2O7 5cm3 of 6M HCl with 2 drops of CuSO4 5cm3 of 6M HCl Mg 5cm3 of 6M HCl Zn 5cm3 of 6M HCl Sn

After 30 minutes the acid was poured off and washed every piece of iron with water They were washed with acetone solution again and dried for few minutes They were weighted again

CALCULATIONS
y y Calculate the corrosion rate - % weight Loss Corrosion current density mA/cm2

RESULTS
y y Corrosion rate - % weight loss was xxxxxx Corrosion current density mA/cm2 was xxxxxx

DISCUSSION
 Discuss the results Sample 01: Contains 6M HCl only. H+ reduces to H2 by oxidizing Fe to Fe2+ 2 H+ +2e H2

Fe Fe2++2e Sample 02: Contains 6M HCl and K2Cr2O7 which contains Cr6+ ions, powerful oxidants at low or neutral pH. Therefor in sample 2, Cr6+ also reduces to Cr3+ by oxidizing Fe. Therefor the corrosion rate will be higher than sample 01. Sample 03: Contains 6M HCl and CuSO4. Therefore in sample 3, Cu2+ also reduces to Cu by oxidizing Fe. Therefor the corrosion rate will be higher than sample 01. Sample 04: Contains 6M HCl and the iron piece was wrapped with Mg. Since Mg is reactive than Fe, It should protect the Fe from corrosion. Therefor the corrosion rate in sample 04 should be less than that of sample 01. But it hasnt given the correct results due to practical errors.

Sample 05: Contains 6M HCl and the iron piece was wrapped with Zn. Since Zn also reactive than Fe, it also should protect the Fe from corrosion. Therefore the corrosion rate in sample 05 also should be less than that of sample 01. But it resulted that the weight of the Fe was increased. This would be due to the impurities contaminated with Fe piece during the reaction were not cleaned properly. Sample 06: Contains 6M HCl and the iron piece was wrapped with Sn. Since Sn is low reactive than Fe, it should increase the rate of corrosion in the Fe piece than in sample 01. By the practical it obtained that there were no reduction of mass of the iron piece. This also would be due to the improper cleaning of the Fe piece.  Importance of corrosion prevention in process industry The phenomena of corrosion affect all industrial sectors including chemical and process industry. It is known that the corrosion of metallic structures has a significant impact on the economy, including infrastructure, transportation, utilities, production and manufacturing. Outside of the direct costs to replace and repair materials deteriorated by corrosion, companies lose billions of dollars due to the cost of halting their manufacturing processes. The corrosion rates in a chemical plant are dominated by two major factors: i. The presence of chemical impurities such as chlorides, fluorides, sulfates and sulfides. Chloride ions can be adsorbed on the metal surface to inhibit the passivation process and causes a localized destruction of passive films and a pitting corrosion. Fluoride ions prove being very harmful and generate an uniform dissolution of passive surface. Sulphide ions involve a reduction in the material resistance, and their effects increase with the temperature and content of oxygen in the solution.

ii.

Hydrodynamic and mechanical conditions as corrosion-erosion. The major environmental factors considered to affect the erosion behavior of metallic: particle velocity; angle of impact; particle size; and the frequency of particle impacts. The erosion can increase the corrosion rate of stainless steel by several magnitudes, through a synergistic effect due to a coupling between erosion, a mechanical process, and the electrochemical process of corrosion. The relative importance of corrosion, erosion, and corrosion-erosion synergism depend on the specific electrolyte, alloy, and experimental conditions.

In most cases, corrosion cannot be eliminated, only minimized or controlled at acceptable rates using several methods the protection against corrosion.

 Corrosion prevention methods There are four basic methods for Corrosion Control & Corrosion Protection. i. Using materials resistant to Corrosion ii. Applying protective coatings iii. Cathodic protection iv. Corrosion Inhibitors In most cases, effective corrosion control is obtained by combining two or more of these methods. Corrosion control should be considered at the design stage of a given facility or system. The methods selected must be appropriate for the materials used, for the configurations, and for the types and forms of corrosion which must be controlled. i. Using the materials resistant to Corrosion

There are no materials that are immune to corrosion in all environments. Materials must be matched to the environment that they will use. Corrosion Resistance Data are used to assess the suitability of a material in an environment. ii. Applying protective coatings

Protective coatings are the most widely used corrosion control technique. Essentially, protective coatings are separating the surfaces that are susceptible to corrosion from the factors in the environment which cause corrosion to occur like oxygen and moisture. However, those protective coatings can never provide 100 % protection. If localized corrosion at a coating defect is likely to cause rapid catastrophic failure, additional corrosion control measures must be taken. Coatings are particularly useful when used in combination with other methods of corrosion control such as cathodic protection. iii. Cathodic protection

Cathodic protection interferes with the natural action of the electrochemical cells that are responsible for corrosion. Cathodic protection can be effectively applied to control corrosion of surfaces that are immersed in water or exposed to soil. Cathodic protection in its classical form cannot be used to protect surfaces exposed to the atmosphere. The use of anodic metallic coatings such as zinc on steel (galvanizing) is, however, a form of cathodic protection, which is effective in the atmosphere. There are two basic methods of supplying the electrical currents required to interfere with the electrochemical cell action. The first method, cathodic protection with galvanic anodes, uses the corrosion of an active metal, such as magnesium or zinc, to provide the required electrical current. In this method, called sacrificial or galvanic anode cathodic protection, the active metal is consumed in the process of protecting the surfaces where corrosion is controlled and the anodes must be periodically replaced. In the second method, impressed current cathodic protection, an alternative source of direct electrical current, usually a rectifier that converts alternating current to direct current is used to

provide the required electrical current. In this system, the electrical circuit is completed through an inert anode material that is not consumed in the process.

iv.

Corrosion Inhibitors (Modify the operating environment)

Another method of corrosion control often neglected is modifying the operating environment. Using a selective backfill around a buried structure, using corrosion inhibitors in power plant or in engine cooling systems, and modifying structures to provide adequate drainage are all examples of the use of this method of corrosion control. Although best employed during the design stage, in some cases, actions taken to correct corrosion problems through modifying the environment can be taken after a system is built.

 Practical errors y y y y y y Oxide layer may not be totally removed by cleaning with sand papers There may be some other impurities on the surface of iron pieces which were not removed Air bubbles may be contained between the Mg, Zn and Sn plates and the piece of iron Rust would not be removed totally by washing Mg used to wrap the iron piece may not be properly cleaned, as Mg is more reactive than Fe, it should protect Fe from corrosion. As an anodic inhibitor, chromate forms a passivation layer on aluminum and steel surfaces which prevents the oxidation of the metal. Although it should be lesser the corrosion rate in the sample with K2Cr2O7 it having the highest value among all samples.

 Suggestions Iron pieces can be properly cleaned with using of chemicals rather than cleaning with sand papers. First they can be cleaned with caustic soda (NaOH), and results in the removal of all polar substances such as fats and oils. The vegetable and animal oils are converted to glycerol and soap, and the petrol-derived oils (such as hydraulic oil) are "emulsified" (suspended in water) by any of a variety of emulsifiers. Then rinsing with water will wash away both the alkali and the substances. Then they will be washed with acids to remove any ionic deposits from the metal. Again rinse with water to remove deposits and the cleaning chemicals. The cleaned metal is now in a highly reactive state.

CONCLUSION
y y y y y y Sample 01 has a corrosion rate of 0.0783% & corrosion current density of 0.7004mA/cm2. Sample 02 has a corrosion rate of 1.3938% & corrosion current density of 11.5251mA/cm2, higher than those of sample 01. Sample 03 has a corrosion rate of 0.1714% & corrosion current density of 1.3965mA/cm2 higher than those of sample 01. Sample 04 has a corrosion rate of 0.3288% & corrosion current density of 1.8136mA/cm2 but theoretically these values should be less than sample 01. Sample 05 has a corrosion rate of % & corrosion current density of mA/cm2. Sample 06 has a corrosion rate of 0% & corrosion current density of 0mA/cm2 but theoretically these values should be higher than sample 01.

REFERENCES
http://www.scitopics.com/Corrosion_in_chemical_plants.html http://www.counteractrust.com/corrosion.htm http://www.nstcenter.net/writeup.aspx?title=What%20is%20Corrosion&page=TechResourcesA CorrosionPrimer.html