Recent laboratory work has shown that concentrated sodium hydroxide, which has been blamed for many failures in power plant operations, does in fact produce very high corrosion rates and a drastic pitting attack on steel at 316 C. It is now shown that no such attack on steel is produced by concentrated lithium hydroxide at 316 C. A mechanism accounting for some of the details of corrosion behavior of steel in concentrated lithium hydroxide is described. It is concluded that lithium hydroxide warrants consideration as an alkalizing agent in steam generating plants and on the secondary side of nuclear power reactors.

6.2.5, 4.3.3, 8.2.2, 7.11.1

Subject
Water, Hydroxides, Corrosion rate, Protective films, Walls, Corrosion attacks, Film formation, Lithium, Powders, Steel, Magnetite, Pitting, Sodium hydroxide
© 1962 National Association of Corrosion Engineers
1962
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