Numerical modelling of the electrochemical behaviour of 316L stainless steel based upon static and dynamic experimental microcapillary-based techniques

Electrochemistry at Krakowian research institutions

The electrochemistry research team activity from Poland is marked by significant increase in the last 20 years. The joining of European Community in 2004 gives an impulse for the development of Polish science. The development of electrochemistry has been stimulated by cooperation with industry and the establishment of technology transfer centers, technology parks, business incubators, etc. and the mostly by simplified international collaborations. Five research institutions from Krakow reports work in the field of electrochemistry. The achievements of all teams are briefly described.

Phase field modeling for the morphological and microstructural evolution of metallic materials under environmental attack

The complex degradation of metallic materials in aggressive environments can result in morphological and microstructural changes. The phase-field (PF) method is an effective computational approach to understanding and predicting the morphology, phase change and/or transformation of materials. PF models are based on conserved and non-conserved field variables that represent each phase as a function of space and time coupled with time-dependent equations that describe the mechanisms. This report summarizes progress in the PF modeling of degradation of metallic materials in aqueous corrosion, hydrogen-assisted cracking, high-temperature metal oxidation in the gas phase and porous structure evolution with insights to future applications.

Corrosion Behaviors of Q345R Steel at the Initial Stage in an Oxygen-Containing Aqueous Environment: Experiment and Modeling

The ingress of oxygen into pressure vessels used in oil & gas production and transportation could easily result in serious corrosion. In this work, the corrosion behaviors of Q345R steel at the initial stage in 1 wt.% NaCl solution were investigated using electrochemical techniques. The effects of oxygen concentration, temperature and pH on corrosion behaviors were discussed. Simultaneously, a numerical model based on the mixed potential theory was proposed. The results show that the proposed model accords well with the experimental data in the pH range from 9.0 to 5.0. In this pH range, the oxygen reduction reaction, H⁺ reduction, water reduction, and iron oxidation can be quantitatively analyzed using this model. However, this model shows a disagreement with the experimental data at lower pH. This can be attributed to the fact that actual area of reaction on the electrode is much smaller than the preset area due to the block effect resulted from hydrogen bubbles adsorbed on the electrode surface.

Phase-field model of pitting corrosion kinetics in metallic materials

Pitting corrosion is one of the most destructive forms of corrosion that can lead to catastrophic failure of structures. This study presents a thermodynamically consistent phase field model for the quantitative prediction of the pitting corrosion kinetics in metallic materials. An order parameter is introduced to represent the local physical state of the metal within a metal-electrolyte system. The free energy of the system is described in terms of its metal ion concentration and the order parameter. Both the ion transport in the electrolyte and the electrochemical reactions at the electrolyte/metal interface are explicitly taken into consideration. The temporal evolution of ion concentration profile and the order parameter field is driven by the reduction in the total free energy of the system and is obtained by numerically solving the governing equations. A calibration study is performed to couple the kinetic interface parameter with the corrosion current density to obtain a direct relationship between overpotential and the kinetic interface parameter. The phase field model is validated against the experimental results, and several examples are presented for applications of the phase-field model to understand the corrosion behavior of closely located pits, stressed material, ceramic particles-reinforced steel, and their crystallographic orientation dependence.