Abstract
Nickel-based alloys containing optimum amounts of chromium (Cr), molybdenum (Mo) and tungsten (W) are widely used in the chemical process industries due to their tolerance of both oxidizing and reducing conditions. Surprisingly, most of the corrosion data available in the literature for the corrosion-resistant alloys (CRA’s) are in individual acids which seldom replicate the field conditions. Although it is not feasible to exactly reproduce industrial environments under laboratory conditions, a reasonable approach is to conduct corrosion tests in both individual and mixed acids.
One of the most commonly used techniques of industrial researchers in the determination of corrosion performance is the weight change measurement method. In the present study, corrosion tests were performed using both weight loss and electrochemical techniques for Ni-Cr-Mo (W) alloys in hydrochloric (HCl), sulfuric (H2SO4), nitric (HNO3) acids and their various combinations. For comparative purposes, corrosion tests were also conducted for 304L and 316L stainless steels in some of the above-mentioned acidic media. Furthermore, an attempt was made to correlate the corrosion performance of various alloys, in individual and mixed acids, to their alloying elements and contents.
