Comparative Study of Corrosion Sensitivity of Selected Ferrous Metals in Crude Oil

O. Ogundare, I.M. Momoh, O.J. Akinribide, A.R. Adetunji, J.O. Borode, S.O.O. Olusunle, O.O. Adewoye

Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Federal University of Technology,Akure, Nigeria..
Engineering Materials Development Institute, Akure, Nigeria..
National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, Abuja, Nigeria..
Prototype Engineering Development Institute, Ilesa, Nigeria..

DOI: 10.4236/jmmce.2012.116040                

Abstract

Corrosion characteristic of selected ferrous metal samples (plain and alloyed ductile iron, low carbon steel and austenitic stainless steel) in crude oil was investigated using weight loss method. The microstructures of the coupons were taken before and after corrosion test. It was observed that all the materials experience gain in weight within the first 10 days in the medium. This weight gain is attributed to the formation of hard and passive phases which acted as strong protective barriers to corrosion. It was also observed that the rate of corrosion decreased with increase in the number of days of exposure for all the coupons, this may be probably due to the deposition of corrosion products that tend to shield the corroding surface from further corrosion attack, there by depressing the rate of corrosion. This result shows that despite initial low corrosion resistance of plain ductile iron, it can still be considered, alongside other materials, for application in pipelines and storage facilities for crude oil.

Keywords

Corrosion, agitation, ductile iron, Austenitic Stainless Steel, Mild steel and crude oil.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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