Corrosion of metals and alloys in sulfate melts at 750 C

The corrosion of Ni, Co, Ni-10Cr, Co-21Cr, and IN738 was studied at 750 C in the presence of molten sulfate mixtures (Na2SO4-Li2SO4 and Na2SO4-CoSO4) and in an atmosphere consisting of O2 + 0.12 percent SO2-SO3. The corrosion was observed to be similar for both Na2SO4-Li2SO4 and Na2SO4-CoSO4 melts. The corrosion of Ni and Co took place by the formation of a mixed oxide plus sulfide scale, very similar to the corrosion in SO2 or SO3 alone. The initial stage for the corrosion of Ni-10Cr involved the formation of a thick NiO + Ni3S2 duplex scale, and Cr sulfide was formed during the later stages. A pitting type of morphology was observed for both Co-21Cr and IN738. The pit was Cr sulfide at the beginning, and subsequently the sulfides oxidized to Cr2O3. A base-metal oxide layer was present above the pit, and this was observed to be formed very early in the corrosion process. A mechanism is proposed to explain this. In general, the formation of sulfides appears to be the primary mode of degradation in mixed sulfide melts.