Sulfuric acid is an important reactant and by product in the mining and metal-extraction industries. Corrosion in sulfuric acid is dependent both on concentration of the acid and type of impurities present in the acid. The behavior of a variety of stainless steels and Ni-base alloys is examined as a function of these factors. The range of acid concentration is divided into three zones and the alloy performance is examined in each zone. In the lowest-concentration acids, the alloying elements of greatest benefit were Mo, Ni and Cr in that order. If oxidizing agents are present however, both Cr and Mo are necessary for corrosion resistance. In the intermediate-concentration zone, Mo is beneficial as is also Cu. In the highest concentration zone Cr, Mo, Cu and Si are shown to be beneficial. The effect of impurities such as ferric, cupric and nitrate ions are examined in these various concentration zones.

Subject
Acids, Corrosion resistant alloys, Stainless alloys, Acid concentration, Corrosion rate, Sulfuric acid, Nickel based alloys, Molybdenum alloys, Chromium, Copper alloys, Commercial alloys, Impurities, Corrosion resistance
© 1987 Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP). All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of AMPP. Positions and opinions advanced in this work are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AMPP. Responsibility for the content of the work lies solely with the author(s).
1987
Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)
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