Abstract
The corrosion of E-Brite 26-1 has been examined in concentrated sulfuric acid (70 to 93 wt%) using the rotating cylinder electrode (RCE). Two stable corrosion potentials were found: (1) in the passive voltage region and (2) in the active voltage region. Only the active potential is stable after the alloy is cathodically polarized. The corrosion rate at this potential is controlled by the rate of mass transfer of FeSO4 from a saturated surface salt film to the bulk fluid. Enhanced mass transfer caused by surface roughening was detected. The corrosion rate calculated from the active anodic current density (CD) limit obtained from polarization scans agrees with that calculated from weight loss. Practical and rapid velocity testing is possible using only the polarization scans generated from the RCE.
