Formation Mechanisms of Iron Oxide and Iron Sulfide at High Temperature in H₂S Corrosion Environment Available to Purchase

The mechanisms of corrosion of mild steel, and associated corrosion product formation, in high temperature sour environments are still largely unknown although they directly relate to pressing operating issues in the oil and gas industry. Previous studies have shown that, from 80°C to 200°C in an H₂S only environment, magnetite forms as an inner layer while iron sulfides are found in the outer layer. Although magnetite is thermodynamically less stable than iron sulfide, it was always observed as a defined inner layer. In this work, experiments were conducted to investigate the formation mechanisms of magnetite and iron sulfide in a H₂S environment at high temperature. The corrosion behavior of mild steel was first investigated in environments with and without H₂S at 120°C, showing that magnetite is the dominant corrosion product layer in the initial stages of corrosion, due to a much faster kinetics of formation than iron sulfide (mackinawite). Magnetite is assumed to be responsible for the initial rapid decrease of the corrosion rate in this environment. In another experiment, the conversion of magnetite into mackinawite was investigated by exposing a preformed magnetite layer on an inert steel substrate (nickel) to an H₂S environment. Consequently, it is postulated that Fe₃O₄ experiences a simultaneous and continuous process of formation at the steel/magnetite interface and conversion to mackinawite at the magnetite/mackinawite interface. A descriptive model for the formation mechanisms of magnetite and iron sulfide at high temperature is presented.