1. Corrosion monitoring of steel structure coating degradationBojan Zajec, Mirjam Bajt Leban, Tadeja Kosec, Viljem Kuhar, Andraž Legat, Stanislav Lenart, Karmen Fifer Bizjak, Gavin Kenneth, 2018, original scientific article Abstract: An important aspect regarding the sustainability of steel structures is to ensure the structure is protected from corrosion. A number of surface coatings are availablethat play an important role in protecting these structures. An important part of the management of these structures is reliable and regular inspection along with methods forearly detection of corrosion processes. In this paper, a development and application of sensors for monitoring the steel coating degradation and corrosion damage to steelsubstrate are presented. An encapsulated corrosion kit with integrated EIS sensors and ER probes was developed. To test its efficiency, steel probes were coated withselected coatings in the laboratory and their performance was assessed under various aggressive atmospheres, including; salt, industrial and humid atmosphere.
Keywords: coatings, corrosion, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, electrical resistance probes, railways, steel structures
Published in DiRROS: 13.12.2023; Views: 163; Downloads: 85
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2. Elucidating nucleation stages of transgranular stress corrosion cracking in austenitic stainless steel by in situ electrochemical and optical methodsSarmiento Klapper Helmuth, Bojan Zajec, Andreas Heyn, Andraž Legat, 2019, original scientific article Abstract: The pitting and environmentally assisted cracking resistance of austenitic stainless steels (SS) is challenged in several industrial applications particularly those involving hot chloride-concentrated streams. Directional drilling used in the oil and gas exploration is one of these applications. Indeed, high strength CrMn-SS commonly used in drilling technology have a high tendency to fail by stress corrosion cracking (SCC) preceded by localized corrosion once subjected to highly chloride-concentrated drilling fluids at elevated temperatures. A comprehensive understanding regarding the mechanisms governing the transition from pitting into SCCis not currently available, though. Therefore, mechanistic aspects such as the effect of loading conditions on pit nucleation and repassivation as well as the synergistic effect between pit stabilization and the nucleation of a stress corrosion crack are of great practical significance. To investigate this an electrochemical-, optical- and mechanical- monitored SCC test was conducted on a CrMn-SS in an alkaline brine at elevated temperature. The transition from metastable to stable pitting and subsequently to SCC in this system was documented in-situ for the first time. Results supported H.S. Isaacs postulates regarding the interpretation of electrochemical signals and demonstrated that loading conditions affect pit nucleation and repassivation leading to a higher susceptibility of the material to pitting, which preceded SCC.
Keywords: pitting corrosion, stress corrosion cracking, monitoring, elektrochemical noise, austenitic stainless steel
Published in DiRROS: 23.11.2023; Views: 192; Downloads: 161
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3. Activation and repassivation of stainless steels in artificial brines as a function of pHEmir Mujanović, Bojan Zajec, Tadeja Kosec, Andraž Legat, Stefan Hönig, Gerald Zehethofer, Gregor Mori, 2019, original scientific article Abstract: When planning oil wells with stainless steel components, two possible reasons for depassivation have to be considered-chemical depassivation caused by acidizing jobs and mechanical depassivation caused by various tools and hard particles. The study explores conditions causing chemical activation of investigated steels and circumstances under which repassivation occurs after activation. The main focus of the study is to determine, how quickly various steels can repassivate under different conditions and to find pH values where repassivation will occur after depassivation. The investigated steels were ferritic (martensitic or bainitic) in the cases of 13Cr, 13Cr6Ni2Mo, and 17Cr4Ni2Mo, austenitic in the case of 17Cr12Ni2Mo, and duplex (austenitic and ferritic) in the case of 22Cr5Ni3Mo. Potentiodynamic experiments were employed to obtain electrochemical properties of investigated steels, followed by immersion tests to find ultimate conditions, where the steels still retain their passivity. After obtaining this information, scratch tests were performed to study the repassivation kinetics. It was found that repassivation times are similar for nearly all investigated steels independent of their chemical composition and microstructure.
Keywords: stainless steels, activation, repassivation
Published in DiRROS: 21.11.2023; Views: 230; Downloads: 107
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4. Monitoring the galvanic corrosion of copper–steel coupling in bentonite slurry during the early oxic phase using coupled multielectrode arraysTadeja Kosec, Miha Hren, Klara Prijatelj, Bojan Zajec, Nina Gartner, Andraž Legat, 2023, original scientific article Abstract: In the case of a two-part container for spent nuclear fuel, consisting of an iron-based inner structure with a copper coating, the potential perforation of copper through minor damage may result in intensive galvanic corrosion between copper and steel. The present work focuses on the corrosion of steel galvanically coupled to copper and exposed to a slightly saline environment under oxic conditions. The electrochemical processes on individual electrodes were monitored by coupled multielectrode arrays (CMEAs). The CMEAs were either in contact with groundwater saturated with bentonite or immersed in groundwater only. Very high galvanic corrosion currents were detected between carbon steel and pure copper in the early oxic phase. Additionally, the use of CMEAs further made it possible to monitor the distribution of cathodic currents around the steel electrode, which behaved anodically. Various microscopy and spectroscopy techniques were applied to identify the modes of corrosion and the type of corrosion products present at the end of the period of exposure.
Keywords: copper, steel, bentonite, Aspö groundwater, coupled multi electrode array, electrochemical properties, Raman analysis, corrosion
Published in DiRROS: 16.11.2023; Views: 299; Downloads: 38
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5. Depassivation and repassivation of stainless steels by stepwise pH changeEmir Mujanović, Bojan Zajec, Andraž Legat, Tadeja Kosec, Janez Kovač, Gregor Mori, Stefan Hönig, Gerald Zehethofer, 2020, original scientific article Abstract: Immersion tests with different stainless steels have been performed, while the pH was stepwise decreased and then increased again. During 8.5-day exposure, the depassivation and repassivation pH values as a function of pitting resistance equivalent number were determined. There is always a gap between both pH values (depassivation and repassivation), indicating that for every steel, there are conditions where an existing passive layer can be maintained but cannot be rebuilt after depassivation. In such environments, the passive layer is thicker, consisting mainly of molybdenum and iron rich oxides, while chromium is dissolved. Usually, depending on conditions, the passive layer is more chromium-rich, especially the inner layer. This is relevant, for example, for acidizing jobs in oil and gas industry, proving that repassivation after acidizing will happen promptly, when the pH is increased again.
Keywords: stress corrosion cracking, surface finish impact, tapered tensile specimen, autoclave, accelerated testing, light water nuclear reactor, critical threshold stress
Published in DiRROS: 30.08.2023; Views: 292; Downloads: 149
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6. Stress corrosion crack initiation testing with tapered specimens in high-temperature water - results of a collaborative research projectRik-Wouter Bosch, Stefan Ritter, Matthias Herbst, Renate Kilian, Grace Burke, Jonathan Duff, Fabio Scenini, Yuchen Gu, Alice Dinu, Ulla Ehrnsten, Aki Toivonen, Radek Novotny, Oliver Martin, Francisco Javier Perosanz, Andraž Legat, Bojan Zajec, 2020, original scientific article Abstract: The applicability of an accelerated test technique using tapered tensile specimens for investigating the stress corrosion crack (SCC) initiation behaviour of structural materials in high-temperature water was assessed in the framework of a European collaborative research project (MICRIN – MItigation of CRack INitiation). The main advantage of using a tapered geometry is, that in a single test a stress gradient is obtained through the gauge length, and therefore a stress threshold for SCC initiation can be determined in a reasonable timeframe. This method was used to investigate two different materials that were known to be susceptible to SCC in light water reactor environment: a high-Si stainless steel and a Ni-base weld metal (Alloy 182). The results of the international test programme confirmed that the tapered specimen test methodology could be used to identify a SCC initiation stress threshold, albeit that significant scatter was present in the data.
Keywords: stress corrosion cracking, surface finish impact, tapered tensile specimen, autoclave, accelerated testing, light water nuclear reactor, critical threshold stress
Published in DiRROS: 28.08.2023; Views: 269; Downloads: 143
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7. Modelling the electrochemical transients during repassivation under open-circuit conditions in a neutral solutionBojan Zajec, Tadeja Kosec, Andraž Legat, 2022, original scientific article Abstract: The responses of the current and the coupled potential to rapid depassivation have been studied on a three-electrode system under open-circuit conditions. Passivated AISI 304 stainless steel in low- and high-conductivity solutions of NaSO has been depassivated with a single, rapid scratch over the small fraction of surface of the working electrode (WE). Single- and dual-WE configurations have been implemented. Once the surface is scratched, the current and potential transients exhibit a delayed maximum and minimum, respectively, in contrast to the outcome of more common potentiostatic scratching experiments. A simple model based on the equivalent circuit has been developed to predict the observed transients and provides clear relations between the features of the transient and the parameters of the electrolyte and the electrodes. The interfacial capacitance of the electrodes’ passive surfaces proves crucial for the shapes of the observed potential and current transients. It is shown that this capacitance temporarily provides the majority of the charge for repassivation under open-circuit conditions. Possible sources of specific discrepancies between the model and the measured transients are indicated.
Keywords: repassivation, open circuit conditions, transient, modelling, interfacial capacitance
Published in DiRROS: 21.06.2023; Views: 310; Downloads: 143
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8. Effect of surface machining on the environmentally-assisted cracking of Alloy 182 and 316L stainless steel in light water reactor environments : results of the collaborative project MEACTOSMariia Zimina, Stefan Ritter, Bojan Zajec, Marc Vankeerberghen, Liberato Volpe, Anna Hojna, Rik-Wouter Bosch, Fabio Scenini, Zaiqing Que, Alberto Sáez-Maderuelo, P. Jill Meadows, Michael Grimm, Matthias Herbst, Andraž Legat, Agostino Maurotto, Radek Novotny, Karl-Heinz Seifert, 2023, original scientific article Abstract: The main objective of the EU-funded project mitigating environmentally-assisted cracking through optimisation of surface condition (MEACTOS) was to gain knowledge on the ability of different surface machining procedures to mitigate environmentally-assisted cracking (EAC) in typical light water reactor structural materials and environments. Surfaces of cold-worked (CW) type 316L austenitic stainless steel and nickel-based weld metal Alloy 182 flat tapered tensile specimens were machined using different processes. EAC initiation susceptibility of these specimens was evaluated using constant extension rate tensile (CERT) tests under simulated boiling water reactor (BWR) and pressurized water reactor (PWR) conditions and assessed using constant load experiments. More than a hundred tests were performed covering about 10 years of autoclave testing time. Only minor or no measurable improvements in EAC initiation susceptibility as a function of surface treatments (grinding or advanced machining) compared to the standard industrial face milling were demonstrated. In most cases, the stress thresholds for EAC initiation determined in constant load tests confirmed the trend obtained from CERT tests. This paper summarises the most important results and conclusions concerning the EAC initiation behaviour for the CW 316L and Alloy 182 under reducing PWR and oxidizing BWR conditions.
Keywords: crack initiation, environmentally-assisted cracking, Alloy 182, AISI 304 stainless steel, surface treatment, light water reactor, open access
Published in DiRROS: 30.05.2023; Views: 315; Downloads: 180
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9. Investigation of surface treatment effects on the environmentally-assisted cracking behaviour of Alloy 182 in boiling water reactor environmentZaiqing Que, Bojan Zajec, Stefan Ritter, Tommi Seppänen, Timo Saario, Aki Toivonen, Aleksandra Treichel, Valentin Lautaru, Fabio Scenini, 2022, original scientific article Abstract: Surface treatments of primary circuit components in light water reactors are regarded as possible ways to mitigate environmentally-assisted cracking (EAC). To date, it is not fully conclusive which surface condition is suitable to reduce the EAC initiation susceptibility. Constant extension rate tensile (CERT) tests were performed by several labs using flat tapered tensile specimens with different surface conditions (ground, industrial face milled, advanced face milled and shot peened), exposed to a boiling water reactor normal water chemistry environment at 288°C. Despite some scatter in the results, the CERT tests revealed that the EAC initiation susceptibility seems lowest for the advanced face milled surface and highest for the shot peened surface. However, it must be emphasised that the differences were moderate and that the surprising behaviour of the shot peened surface can be explained. The mechanical grinding of the surface did not significantly retard EAC initiation compared to industrial face milling.
Keywords: crack initiation, environmentally-assisted cracking, Alloy 182, surface machining, boiling water reactor, open access
Published in DiRROS: 05.05.2023; Views: 346; Downloads: 144
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