Industrial application of metal coating for improved corrosion resistance

Abstract

Gradual degradation of metal surfaces also known as corrosion is a well-known phenomenon found in most industries. This destructing mechanism can lead to reduced utility and efficiency, or in the worst case, total failure of plants, equipment, and components which is extremely costly and also serve consequence to human life and the environment. An industry that is greatly affected by this problem is the oil and gas industry where crude oil and other aggressive chemicals are common. To ensure that all processes safely take place, these are continuously checked by different types of level switches and systems that are usually mounted with flanges on tanks and pipelines. Which makes them exposed to corrosion. This report investigates the possibilities of increased corrosion resistance of stainless steel flanges with help of cladding. A prototype was developed by initial materialand process selection for the cladding which then was verified by different laboratory tests to examine the final properties of the prototype. The results gained from the laboratory tests of the prototype show that the cladding continued to have good corrosion resistance even after welding, as well as good adhesion with the substrate with few defects in the interface which means a good balance in the amount of dilution between the different materials. However, the cladding showed porosity which was expected according to the manufacturing method. These results are a good indication that cladding can be a good method for increasing the corrosion resistance of flanges.