{"title":"Detailed mechanisms of hydrogen charging and hydrogen stress cracking of steel in liquid ammonia storage","authors":"J. Crolet","doi":"10.1051/mattech/2019022","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"When the unprecedented environmental cracking of steel in liquid ammonia was collectively studied, its undisputable “anodic character” was taken as the signature of a stress corrosion cracking mechanism, which is effectively the case in aqueous corrosion. Conversely, when the metallurgical precautions proved to be the same as in sour service, this strongly suggested a hydrogen stress cracking mechanism. In aqueous corrosion, however, this can only occur by cathodic hydrogen charging at low potential, and for 50 years, this basic contradiction could never be overcome. Actually, it occurs that the liquid ammonia solvent (NH3) is 50% richer in hydrogen than the water solvent (OH2), so that hydrogen gas can also be produced by a partial oxidisation into ½ N2 + H2. This therefore induces a theoretical possibility of an “anodic” hydrogen charging, or more exactly a protonic cathodic reaction only running at high potential on passive iron in oxygen contaminated ammonia. And once the detrimental potential is achieved through appropriate combinations of oxygen and water traces, the charging process becomes an autonomous oxidation-reduction at the steel surface NH3 → ½ N2 + H2 + (H+ + e−)steel. In Part II (Jean-Louis Crolet, Matériaux & Techniques 107, 402, 2019), this new assumption will be successfully confronted to all the factual data from both field and laboratory experience.","PeriodicalId":43816,"journal":{"name":"Materiaux & Techniques","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.3000,"publicationDate":"2019-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Materiaux & Techniques","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1051/mattech/2019022","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q4","JCRName":"MATERIALS SCIENCE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
When the unprecedented environmental cracking of steel in liquid ammonia was collectively studied, its undisputable “anodic character” was taken as the signature of a stress corrosion cracking mechanism, which is effectively the case in aqueous corrosion. Conversely, when the metallurgical precautions proved to be the same as in sour service, this strongly suggested a hydrogen stress cracking mechanism. In aqueous corrosion, however, this can only occur by cathodic hydrogen charging at low potential, and for 50 years, this basic contradiction could never be overcome. Actually, it occurs that the liquid ammonia solvent (NH3) is 50% richer in hydrogen than the water solvent (OH2), so that hydrogen gas can also be produced by a partial oxidisation into ½ N2 + H2. This therefore induces a theoretical possibility of an “anodic” hydrogen charging, or more exactly a protonic cathodic reaction only running at high potential on passive iron in oxygen contaminated ammonia. And once the detrimental potential is achieved through appropriate combinations of oxygen and water traces, the charging process becomes an autonomous oxidation-reduction at the steel surface NH3 → ½ N2 + H2 + (H+ + e−)steel. In Part II (Jean-Louis Crolet, Matériaux & Techniques 107, 402, 2019), this new assumption will be successfully confronted to all the factual data from both field and laboratory experience.
期刊介绍:
Matériaux & Techniques informs you, through high-quality and peer-reviewed research papers on research and progress in the domain of materials: physical-chemical characterization, implementation, resistance of materials in their environment (properties of use, modelling)... The journal concerns all materials, metals and alloys, nanotechnology, plastics, elastomers, composite materials, glass or ceramics. This journal for materials scientists, chemists, physicists, ceramicists, engineers, metallurgists and students provides 6 issues per year plus a special issue. Each issue, in addition to scientific articles on specialized topics, also contains selected technical news (conference announcements, new products etc.).