Influences of heat flow on corrosion behavior and interfacial reaction kinetics

Abstract

Heat transfer surface of heat exchange devices often suffers from severe corrosion, and their corrosion behavior is dramatically influenced by both surface temperature and heat flow. In this work, a novel heat transfer interface corrosion testing system was designed and built based on a simulation calculation analysis (COMSOL Multiphysics 6.0 software). By the aid of it, effects of different heat flux on corrosion performance of steel Q235 was investigated through mass loss and electrochemical methods in 0.5 mol/L H₂SO₄ solution at controlled interface temperatures. Results indicate that variations in concentration and temperature impose a great contribution to corrosion rate but not corrosion mechanism. However, heat flow not only changed the concentration of reactants near the interfacial surface but also affected the rate and kinetic mechanism of corrosion. Positive heat flow could reduce corrosion rate of heat transfer surface, while negative heat flow increased corrosion rate. Heat flow significantly altered parameters of the corrosion reaction rate constant (such as pre-exponential factor, activation energy, entropy change, and enthalpy change), and an approximate exponential relationship between corrosion rate and heat flux was proposed.