Abstract
Corrosion of reactors or heat exchangers is a major problem in industrial applications. During the industrial production of epichlorohydrin (ECH) from dichloropropanol (DCP), there are many corrosive byproducts which can severely attack heat exchangers. It is therefore important to select suitable structural materials, which are compatible with the field environment of each particular process, to ensure the long term integrity of the reactor components. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the corrosion behaviour of the electroless Ni–P coating in the DCP solution and to gain an improved understanding of the corrosion mechanism. Type 304 stainless steel (SS) was used in the present study. A parametric study was carried out to investigate the influences of the electroless Ni–P coating thickness, immersion temperature and chloride ion concentration, on the corrosion rate and corrosion morphology of the selected materials. The corrosion rate of type 304 SS was always higher than that of the electroless Ni–P coating in DCP solution. The corrosion rate of the electroless Ni–P coating decreased with its thickness firstly and then increased. Also, the electroless Ni–P coating showed better corrosion resistance than type 304 SS in DCP solution containing chloride.
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