Mitigating Industrial Acid Corrosion

Industries like oilfields and processing facilities have huge involvement in steel and iron, zinc, and ferrous alloys. Proper maintenance is essential as the maximum utilization of their by-products like storage tanks, chimneys, building structures, pipelines, and machinery are related to broad-spectrum applications. In heavy industry, metals are subject to corrosion caused by acids, and bases and causing metal loss.

What is Acid Corrosion?

Corrosion is generally a process by which any ferrous metals comprises iron, different alloying elements such as manganese, sulphur, copper, phosphorus, carbon, nickel, silicon, chromium, aluminium), and impurities such as phosphides, sulphides etc.

How does Corrosion Occur?

Corrosion can cause the deterioration of materials by chemical interaction with their environment. Corrosion is a result when the hydrogen ion concentration reacts with the electrons of metals, damaging operational equipment, and structures. Some of the hydrogen ions won’t be able to form a hydrogen molecule, those ion gets induced in the metallic body through absorption as a hydrogen ion. Acidic Corrosion causes wear and tear of material mainly by acidic components which can be prevented by the application of the right proportionated inhibitor.

Why does metal get corroded?

Steel and iron are mainly used in many industries for their excellent mechanical characteristics and cheaper cost. Various industry processes use acidic solutions widely for their low cost, some of the critical fields of the application being acid pickling of steel, ore production and oil well acidification, chemical cleaning and processing, etc.  These acidic solutions react with metallic surfaces and cause the deterioration of materials.