Effect of Elemental Sulfur and Mercaptans on Copper Strip Corrosion and Use of the ASTM D 130 Test Method Available to Purchase

The corrosiveness of sulfur compounds present in petroleum products is measured using the ASTM D 130 copper strip test, which is based on discoloration of a standard copper strip immersed into a petroleum product at 50°C for 3 h. In the present work, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray techniques were used to study effects of copper strip corrosion in the ASTM D 130 test produced by elemental sulfur, mercaptans, sulfides, disulfides, and mixtures of elemental sulfur with these sulfur compounds present in petroleum naphthas. These nondestructive techniques permitted examination of the strip’s corrosive morphology and determination of the sulfur concentration on the strip.