A Mechanistic Model of Iron Carbonate Film Growth and the Effect on CO2 Corrosion of Mild Steel

Abstract A model of iron carbonate (FeCO3) film growth is proposed, which is an extension of the recent mechanistic model of CO2 corrosion by Nesic et al.1. In the present model the film growth occurs by precipitation of iron carbonate once saturation is exceeded. The kinetics of precipitation is dependent on temperature and local species concentrations which are calculated by solving the coupled species transport equations. Precipitation tends to build up a layer of iron carbonate on the surface of the steel and reduce the corrosion rate. On the other hand, the corrosion process induces voids under the precipitated film thus increasing the porosity and leading to a higher corrosion rate. Depending on the environmental parameters such as temperature, pH, CO2 partial pressure, velocity, etc, the balance of the two processes can lead to a variety of outcomes. Very protective films and low corrosion rates are predicted at high pH, temperature, CO2 partial pressure and Fe2+ ion concentration due to formation of dense protective films as expected. The model has been successfully calibrated against limited experimental data. Parametric testing of the model has been done in order to gain insight into the effect of various environmental parameters on iron carbonate film formation. The trends shown in the predictions agreed well with the general understanding of the CO2 corrosion process in the presence of iron carbonate films. The present model confirms that the concept of scaling tendency is a good tool for predicting the likelihood of protective iron carbonate film formation.