Accelerated corrosion of five commercial steels under a ZnCl2–KCl deposit in a reducing environment typical of waste gasification at 673–773K

The corrosion of five Fe–Cr commercial steels containing 0–18 wt.% Cr at 673–773 K has been studied in a reducing H2–HCl–CO2 atmosphere under a ZnCl2–KCl deposit typical of waste gasification environments. In comparison with the behavior of the same steels in a similar gas mixture without salt deposit, all steels suffered from accelerated corrosion induced by the salt and formed porous scales with poor adherence to the underlying steels. Some Cl was detected close to the steels/scale interface, indicating that Cl-containing species were able to go through the scale down to the metal matrix. Even though the corrosion rates generally decreased with increasing Cr content, the high-Cr stainless steel SS304 was still unable to provide a good corrosion resistance against the ZnCl2–KCl deposit. The reaction mechanisms are discussed on the basis of thermodynamic considerations and of the “active oxidation” model.