Analysis of Steel Samples Collected from Power Plant Water Cycles Using Electrochemistry and Electron Microscopy

Abstract

One aspect of effective steam/water cycle chemical treatment programs is their ability minimize corrosion and corrosion related failures. In this study, we examine how corrosion product layers on the surface of tubing samples impact corrosion rate for a series of test specimens prepared from boiler/steam piping provided from operating power plants. Corrosion rates were estimated using the following electrochemical techniques: linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), linear polarization resistance (LPR) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Two sources of Tafel slopes were the standard assumptions used if the corrosion mechanism is not known and those obtained from LSV curves. In total, five variations of corrosion rate measurements were compared. For these corrosion tests, water chemistries representative of conditions that induced online hydrogen damage and offline pitting were used. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS/EDX) were the electron microscopy techniques applied to examine the corrosion product layers. Using these techniques, the microstructure and elemental composition of the tubing sample corrosion product layers were examined. These techniques could be utilized to evaluate the effectiveness or reduction in corrosion rates with the application of film forming products.