Role of NaCl, CO2, and H2S on Electrochemical Behavior of 304 Austenitic Stainless Steel in Simulated Oil Industry Environment

The electrochemical behavior of 304 austenitic stainless steel (304ASS) was studied by different methods such as potentiodynamic polarization, EIS, SEM, and Raman spectroscopy. Potentiodynamic polarization data suggest that 304 ASS could be more susceptible to corrosion due to the presence of H2S. The coexistence of H2S and Cl--type ionic species in 304 ASS lead to a decrease in the corrosion resistance as compared to the H2S-free condition. It is seen that CO2 helps form a passive layer on the metallic surface, which eventually decreases its corrosion rate. Raman spectroscopy analysis shows that the passive layer developed under different condition consists of FeCO3, FeS2, Fe2O3, Fe(OH)(2), etc. SEM images further confirm that elemental S- and Cl- can infiltrate the passive film and cause the passive film to deteriorate.