This article discusses two general mechanisms of corrosion in molten salts. One is the metal dissolution caused by the solubility of the metal in the melt. The second and most common mechanism is the oxidation of the metal to ions. Specific examples of the types of corrosion expected for the different metal-fused salt systems are also provided. The metal-fused salt systems include molten fluorides, chloride salts, molten nitrates, molten sulfates, hydroxide melts, and carbonate melts. The article concludes with information on prevention of molten salt corrosion.

This article describes the specific features and mechanisms of oxidation in thermal spray coatings. It discusses the two forms of hot corrosion in sulfur-containing combustion, namely high-temperature hot corrosion and low-temperature hot corrosion. The article reviews the behavior of corrosion-resistant coatings in boilers. The effects of high-temperature corrosion in waste incinerators are detailed. The article also examines the effects of erosion-corrosion in fluidized bed combustion boilers.

High-temperature exposure of materials occurs in many applications such as power plants (coal, oil, natural gas, and nuclear), land-based gas turbine and diesel engines, gas turbine engines for aircraft, marine gas turbine engines for shipboard use, waste incineration, high-temperature fuel cells, and missile components. This article discusses high-temperature corrosion in boilers, diesel engines, gas turbines, and waste incinerators. Boilers are affected by stress rupture failures, waterside corrosion failures, fireside corrosion failures, and environmental cracking failures. Contamination of combustion fuel in diesel engines can cause high-temperature corrosion. Gas turbine engines are affected by hot corrosion. Refractory-lined incinerators and alloy-lined incinerators are discussed. The article provides case studies for each component failure.

The corrosion issues in the compressor, combustor and turbine sections of industrial gas turbines used in steam production generally depend on the quality of the fuel, air, and water used in the engine than on the specific industrial application. This article focuses on the forms of corrosion and their preventive measures in the compressor, combustor and turbine sections of a steam turbine. The compressor section mainly suffers from aqueous corrosion; while in case of the combustor and turbine sections, which are made of nickel-base superalloys, high-temperature environmental attack in the form of high-temperature oxidation and hot corrosion are predominant. The effect of high-temperature oxidation and hot corrosion on the mechanical properties of superalloys is also discussed.

This article provides information on the thermodynamics and kinetics of high-temperature corrosion. The thermodynamics of high-temperature corrosion reactions reveals what reactions are possible under certain conditions and kinetics explains how fast these possible reactions will proceed. The article describes the diffusion process that plays a key role in oxidation and other gaseous reactions with metals. It discusses the development of stress in oxide layers. The article presents the sample preparation methods for high-temperature testing, and expounds the measurement methods of high-temperature degradation. It reviews a number of potential processes, which are responsible for high-temperature corrosion. The article details a wide range of coatings and coating processes for protecting components in a variety of operating conditions. It also discusses the testing methods used for materials at high temperatures, including furnace tests, burner rig testing, and thermogravimetric analysis, and the test methods conducted at high temperature and high pressure.

High-temperature corrosion can occur in numerous environments and is affected by various parameters such as temperature, alloy and protective coating compositions, stress, time, and gas composition. This article discusses the primary mechanisms of high-temperature corrosion, namely oxidation, carburization, metal dusting, nitridation, carbonitridation, sulfidation, and chloridation. Several other potential degradation processes, namely hot corrosion, hydrogen interactions, molten salts, aging, molten sand, erosion-corrosion, and environmental cracking, are discussed under boiler tube failures, molten salts for energy storage, and degradation and failures in gas turbines. The article describes the effects of environment on aero gas turbine engines and provides an overview of aging, diffusion, and interdiffusion phenomena. It also discusses the processes involved in high-temperature coatings that improve performance of superalloy.

High temperature corrosion may occur in numerous environments and is affected by factors such as temperature, alloy or protective coating composition, time, and gas composition. This article explains a number of potential degradation processes, namely, oxidation, carburization and metal dusting, sulfidation, hot corrosion, chloridation, hydrogen interactions, molten metals, molten salts, and aging reactions including sensitization, stress-corrosion cracking, and corrosion fatigue. It concludes with a discussion on various protective coatings, such as aluminide coatings, overlay coatings, thermal barrier coatings, and ceramic coatings.

Metals and ceramics exposed to high-temperature salt solutions are susceptible to a form of corrosion caused by fused salts accumulating on unprotected surfaces. This article examines the electrochemistry of such hot corrosion processes, focusing on sodium sulfate systems generated by the combustion of fossil fuels. It explains how salt chemistry, including acid/base and oxidizing properties, affects corrosion rates and mechanisms. The article also provides information on electrochemical testing and explains how Pourbaix methods, normally associated with aqueous corrosion, can be used to study fused-salt corrosion.

Molten salts, or fused salts, can cause corrosion by the solution of constituents of the container material, selective attack, pitting, electrochemical reactions, mass transport due to thermal gradients, and reaction of constituents and impurities of the molten salt with the container material. This article describes a test method performed using thermal convection loop for corrosion studies of molten salts. It discusses the purification of salts that are used in the Oak Ridge molten salt reactor experiment. The article also reviews the corrosion characteristics of nitrates/nitrites and fluoride salts with the aid of illustrations and equations.

The presence of certain impurities in coal and oil is responsible for the majority of fireside corrosion experienced in utility boilers. In coal, the primary impurities are sulfur, alkali metals, and chlorine. The most detrimental impurities in fuel oil are vanadium, sodium, sulfur, and chlorine. This article describes the two categories of fireside corrosion based on location in the furnace: waterwall corrosion in the lower furnace and fuel ash corrosion of superheaters and reheaters in the upper furnace. It discusses prevention methods, including changes to operating parameters and application of protective cladding or coatings.

Tantalum is one of the most versatile corrosion-resistant metals known. The outstanding corrosion resistance and inertness of tantalum are attributed to a very thin, impervious, protective oxide film that forms on exposure of the metal to slightly anodic or oxidizing conditions. This article provides a discussion on the mechanism of corrosion resistance and on the behavior of tantalum in different corrosive environments, namely, acids; salts; organic compounds; reagents, foods, and pharmaceuticals; body fluids and tissues; and gases. It contains several tables that summarize the effects of acids, salts, and miscellaneous corrosive reagents on tantalum and applications for tantalum equipment in chemical, pharmaceutical, and other industries. Finally, the article presents a discussion on hydrogen embrittlement, the galvanic effects, and cathodic protection of tantalum and describes the corrosion resistance of different types of tantalum-base alloys.

This article characterizes the corrosion resistance of precious metals, namely, ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, silver, osmium, iridium, platinum, and gold. It provides a discussion on the general fabricability; atomic, structural, physical, and mechanical properties; oxidation and corrosion resistance; and corrosion applications of these precious metals. The article also tabulates the corrosion rates of these precious metals in corrosive environment, namely, acids, salts, and halogens.

Ion chromatography (IC) is an analytical technique that uses columns packed with ion exchange resins to separate ions in aqueous solutions and dynamically elute them to a detector. This article provides information on the different modes of detection, namely, eluent-suppressed conductivity detection, single-column ion chromatography with conductivity detection, ion chromatography with spectrophotometric detection, and amperometric electrochemical detection. It describes the modes of separation techniques in IC and reversed-phase IC. The article discusses the detection capabilities of IC, the procedures for preparing solid and liquid samples, as well as the applications of IC.

Aluminum fluxing is a step in obtaining clean molten metal by preventing excessive oxide formation, removing nonmetallic inclusions from the melt, and preventing and/or removing oxide buildup on furnace walls. This article discusses the solid fluxes and gas fluxes used in foundries. It reviews the classification of solid fluxes depending on their use and function at the foundry operation. These include cover fluxes, drossing fluxes, cleaning fluxes, and furnace wall cleaner fluxes. The article also examines the operational practices and applications of the flux injection in the foundries. It describes the applications of the aluminum fluxing such as crucible furnaces, transfer ladles, reverberatory furnaces, and holding/casting furnaces.

The electroplating of platinum-group metals (PGMs) from aqueous electrolytes for engineering applications is limited principally to palladium and, to a lesser extent, to platinum, rhodium, and thin layers of ruthenium. This article provides a discussion on the plating operations of these PGMs along with the types of anodes used in the process.

Particle image analysis of metal powders can be easily performed with optical macroscopes and microscopes. This article provides examples of the particle image analysis on powders used in the powder metallurgy industry.

Ores, which consist of the primary valuable mineral, predominant gangue content, valuable by-products, and detrimental impurities, are extracted and directed to mineral processing. This article describes the mineral processing facilities, such as crushers, grinders, concentrators, separators, and flotation devices that are used for particle size reduction, separation of particles according to their settling rates in fluids and dewatering of concentrate particles. It explains the basic principles, flow diagrams, ore concentrate preparation methods, and equipment of major types of metallurgical processes, including pyrometallurgical, hydrometallurgical, and electrometallurgical processes.

Chromium alloys yield alloy coatings with properties that range from completely satisfactory to marginally acceptable, depending on the end use. This article provides a detailed description of plating solutions and deposition conditions and rates of chromium-iron, chromium-nickel, and chromium-iron-nickel alloys.

This article discusses the methods for producing powder metallurgy (PM) nickel powders, including carbonyl process, hydrometallurgical process, hydrogen reduction process, and atomization process, as well as their applications. It describes three processes for producing nickel alloy powders: water atomization, high-pressure water atomization, and gas atomization. The article also provides information on the applications of PM hot isostatic pressing in the oil and gas industry.

Pickling is the most common of several processes used to remove scale from steel surfaces. This article provides a discussion on pickling solutions, such as sulfuric and hydrochloric acid, and describes the role of inhibitors in acid pickling. It discusses the equipment and processes involved in the batch, continuous, and electrolytic pickling of carbon steel components. The article describes the effects of process variables on scale removal in sulfuric and hydrochloric acid. It concludes with a description of pickling defects, spent pickle liquor disposal, and safety practices.