Electrochemical evaluation of localized corrosion and cracking in chloride-rich industrial brines

Engineering Services Delivered

We delivered an advanced corrosion testing program to evaluate the performance of candidate materials under simulated service conditions involving saturated chloride solutions at elevated temperatures. The work addressed the risk of pitting, crevice corrosion, and stress corrosion cracking (SCC), employing modified electrochemical testing standards to enhance relevance and reproducibility.

The testing incorporated:

• Customized critical pitting temperature (CPT) and critical crevice temperature (CCT) tests using electrochemical setups adapted for aggressive brine solutions.
• U-bend SCC testing in acidified saturated brine environments, executed at multiple temperatures with post-exposure inspections for crack development.
• Integration of long-term field exposure data with lab-based assessments to validate performance rankings under real-world conditions.

Core Outcomes

• Delivered a comparative ranking of candidate alloys for resistance to pitting, crevice corrosion, and SCC.
• Established a clear relationship between alloying elements and resistance to localized attack, validated by field-exposed samples.
• Identified the influence of fabrication and surface treatment on corrosion initiation and propagation.
• Provided a framework for selecting and qualifying corrosion-resistant materials in critical infrastructure applications exposed to high-temperature chloride environments.