Hot Corrosion of Metals and Alloys

When metals and alloys are used at high temperatures, especially in combustion processes, deposits often accumulate on the metal surfaces and affect the oxidation processes. This paper is concerned with deposit-induced accelerated corrosion, or hot corrosion, of metals and alloys. Initially, the characteristics of hot corrosion are identified for Na(2)SO(4) deposits in terms of the factors that influence the reaction process. It is shown that hot corrosion consists of initiation or incubation and propagation stages. During the initiation or incubation stage, the deposit is shown to not have a significant effect on the corrosion processes, but it is causing conditions to develop whereby the propagation stage characteristics are determined with attendant large increases in the corrosion rates. Type I, high temperature hot corrosion and Type II, low temperature hot corrosion are then described in terms of historical mechanistic perspectives. The dependence of Type I and Type II hot corrosion on temperature and SO(3) partial pressure is discussed along with future work that is needed in order to more completely understand these hot corrosion processes along with the effects of some elements such as Cr, Al, Mo, Co and Pt.