Abstract
Naphthenic acid corrosion (NAC) is one of the major concerns for corrosion engineers in refineries. Iron sulfide (FeS) scales, formed from sulfur compound corrosion, are traditionally considered to be semi-protective and lower NAG However, no relationship has been found between protectiveness and the characteristics of FeS scale. In this study, the corrosive processes of refineries have been probed with laboratory experiments using a model sulfur compound and petroleum-derived naphthenic acids. The morphology and composition of scales were analyzed with a combination of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and convergent beam electron diffraction (CBED). These high resolution microscopy techniques revealed the presence of an iron oxide (Fe3O4 or magnetite) layer on metal surfaces under a FeS layer in the scale. The presence of an oxide scale was correlated with the NAP acid activity during the experiments. It is postulated that the formation of the Fe3O4 layer resulted from the decomposition of iron naphthenates at high temperatures.
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© 2016 TMS (The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society)
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Jin, P., Robhins, W., Bota, G., Nesic, S. (2016). Characterization of Iron Oxide Scale Formed in Naphthenic Acid Corrosion. In: Ikhmayies, S.J., et al. Characterization of Minerals, Metals, and Materials 2016. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-48210-1_14
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-48210-1_14
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
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