Abstract
Corrosive geothermal brines are a major challenge to geothermal power-plants. For cost reasons, plant designers prefer to use carbon and low alloyed steels, which are susceptible to uniform and localized corrosion when exposed to geothermal brines having acidic and saline properties. To solve such problem, coatings or inhibitors would be a protective solution as an alternative to the use of high alloyed materials.
This study investigated a coating system consisting of polyaniline/silicon dioxide based on resources locally available in Indonesia. Protection against corrosion of carbon steel was shown by long-term (28 day) exposure and electrochemical tests of coated carbon steels, performed in an artificial acidic and saline geothermal brine, comparable to the conditions encountered at a site in Indonesia.
Therefore, an integrated coating system is proposed for corrosion protection, combining the electrochemical functionality of polyaniline and the physical advantages of silica.