Imidazoline behavior as corrosion inhibitor in the electrochemical characterization of SCC behavior of an API X70 steel exposed to brine solution

Abstract The effect of concentration of an organic imidazoline as inhibitor on internal stress corrosion cracking (SCC) behavior of an API X70 pipeline steel exposed to a brine solution was studied. The SCC process using simultaneously the slow strain rate stress test (SSRT) and electrochemical measurements was performed. Fracture surface analysis and secondary cracking were observed through a scanning electron microscopy (SEM). According to SEM fractography and SSRT results, the steel showed high SCC susceptibility with a brittle fracture and several secondary cracks without addition of inhibitor, whereas the addition of inhibitor to brine solution was effective to increase the SCC resistance of steel at concentrations of inhibitor of 50 and 100 ppm. A further addition of concentration of inhibitor had a negative effect on the mechanical properties of the steel. Electrochemical measurements results are in accordance with the SCC susceptibility, indicating that corrosion inhibitor film suppressed the anodic and cathodic reactions increasing the resistance to SCC until concentration of 100 ppm. Further addition of inhibitor aggravated the localized corrosion due to local desorption of inhibitor molecules. The Hilbert–Huang transform (HHT) analysis revealed the contribution of different corrosion process contained in the electrochemical current noise (ECN) signals at several inhibitor concentrations.