Electrochemical Behavior of Cu-Bearing CrMo Steel in H2S Saturated Aqueous Brine Solution

Electrochemical measurement techniques were applied to investigate the polarization and hydrogen permeation behavior of Cu-bearing CrMo steel in a H2S saturated aqueous brine solution. The observation on microstructure and precipitate phases of the steel was conducted by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and the corrosion product was investigated by using X-ray diffractometer (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It is disclosed that copper addition could effectively influence the electrochemical behavior of the investigated steel, and the dissolution behavior of iron matrix and carbide precipitates in the H2S solution acts as a key role for the steel resistance to hydrogen sulfide corrosion.