Corrosion Monitoring in Atmospheric Conditions: A Review

Abstract

A variety of techniques are available for monitoring metal corrosion in electrolytes. However, only some of them can be applied in the atmosphere, in which case a thin discontinuous electrolyte film forms on a surface. In this review, we describe, evaluate and compare both traditional and state-of-the-art real-time corrosion monitoring techniques to identify those suitable for atmospheric conditions. For atmospheric corrosion monitoring (ACM), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), electrochemical noise (EN), electrical resistance (ER) probes, quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), radio-frequency identification sensors (RFID), fibre optic corrosion sensors (FOCS) and respirometry, the underlying principles, characteristics and application examples are described, and their advantages and drawbacks outlined. Finally, the techniques are compared in terms of their sensitivity, ease of setup, data processing, ability to identify underlying corrosion mechanisms and applicability in different fields of atmospheric corrosion protection and research.

Application of flexible resistometric sensors for real‐time corrosion monitoring under insulation

“…Resistometric technique has been widely used for real‐time corrosion monitoring in atmosphere, electrolyte, soil, and concrete. [ 14 ] The principle lies in recording electrical resistance of a thin metal track placed on a nonconductive substrate and exposed to corrosive environment. As the material corrodes and gets incorporated into low‐conductive corrosion products, thickness of the conductor decreases leading to an electrical resistance increase according to the following equation: $$$R=\rho \frac{{\rm{l}}}{w\times t},$$$where ρ is material resistivity and l , w , and t are the geometrical parameters of the conductor, that is, the metal track length, width and thickness, respectively.…”

“…where ρ is material resistivity and l, w, and t are the geometrical parameters of the conductor, that is, the metal track length, width and thickness, respectively. [14] Since resistivity, and hence electrical resistance, is a function of temperature, one part of the metal track is usually protected against corrosion with a coating and serves as a reference. Thickness of the reference track remains constant during the exposure and its electrical resistance reflects the temperature fluctuations only.…”

“…where t init is the initial thickness of the metal track; R ref, init and R sens, init is the initial reference and sensing part resistance, and R ref and R sens is the actual reference and sensing part resistance. [14,15] Actual corrosion rate of the sensing part can then be assessed as the derivative of the CD in time.…”

“…Compared to another corrosion monitoring techniques, resistometric measurement is not dependent on the presence of surface electrolytes and can be performed in both wet and dry environments. [14,16,17] The sensors are resistant toward dust, pollutant presence, and mechanical effects such vibration, and can be exposed in harsh conditions of industrial facilities and outdoors. [18][19][20] The measurement is nondestructive for the monitored equipment and easy for setup and maintenance.…”

The Study of Metal Corrosion Resistance near Weld Joints When Erecting Building and Structures Composed of Precast Structures

“…Maksarov et al paid much attention to improving the quality of the further processing of welded products [22][23][24][25]. Paper [26] is devoted to corrosion investigations in the atmosphere.…”