Part X – October 1969 - Papers - The Effect of Heat Transfer on the Corrosion Behavior of Type 304 Stainless Steel in Boiling Water

The effects of heat transfer on the corrosion behavior of type 304 stainless steel in boiling water have been studied. Heat transfer conditions increase the tendencies of the stainless steel toward stress-corrosion mucking when the water is contaminated with Cl-. Surface preparation is the most important variable in determining the severity of the stress-corrosion problem in water with a given Cl- content. Heat treatment, chemical cleaning, and degree of wet film boiling also affect the corrosion of stainless steels used as heat transfer surfaces in boiling water. An up-paratus for corrosion testing under controlled heat transfer conditions is described. THE principal objective of this investigation was to study the corrosion behavior of AISI Type 304 stainless steel in boiling high-purity water under conditions of heat transfer. The principal variables in the study were: a) boiling conditions: limited boil, agitated boil; b) metallurgical structure: annealed or sensitized; c) surface condition: rolled, pickled, or ground. The results of the study should elucidate the role of heat transfer in the corrosion of stainless steel in boiling high-purity water and provide a base line from which to assess the severity of this type of corrosion. Although there has been an investigation of the effect of heat transfer on the corrosion behavior of stainless steels in alkaline waters,' work on the corrosion of stainless steels under heat transfer has been largely confined to various acid solutions.'-4 Furthermore, the study of the corrosion of stainless steels in high-purity water has been generally restricted to auto-clave and instream testing in superheated (e.g., 300°C) water and steam.5'6 Cooling water problems led to this study of the corrosion behavior of type 304 stainless steel in high-purity water at its atmospheric boiling point. In addition to the effects of heat transfer, this study also considered the influences of the type of boiling,7 metallurgical structure, and surface condition on the corrosion behavior of stainless steel in high-purity water. Two boiling conditions were investigated in this study: a) limiting boiling, i.e., when the heat-transfer surface had just reached the boiling point and boiling nucleated randomly over the specimen surface and b) agitated boiling, i.e., when a mild degree of superheat had been achieved on the specimen surface and boiling occurred generally over the specimen surface. Both boiling conditions are broadly classified as wet-film boiling. Originally, this program included the study of a third type of boiling, dry-film conditions. At dry-film boiling the temperature of the heat transfer surface is high enough so that it is covered with a continuous film of steam. Experimental difficulties made it impossible to study this kind of boiling with the available apparatus. Since surface condition affects heat transfer rates, three typical surfaces were chosen for study: a) as-rolled, the 2B finish received from the supplier, b) as-pickled, 30 min in 8 pct HNO3-1 pct HF, and c) as-ground on 120 grit paper. In order to evaluate the effect of improper heat treatment or welding on hot wall corrosion, both annealed and sensitized mi-crostructure were included in this study. EXPERIMENTAL Test Apparatus. The particular problems of interest in this investigation required a knowledge of the thermal gradient through the test specimen. From this gradient, the heat flux to the surface and the surface temperature could be determined. In order to satisfy this need, an apparatus similar to the boiling-disk apparatus of Fisher and whitney2 was designed. The solution is contained in a thermally-insulated, steel pipe lined with TEFLON resin. A stainless steel _______;________________________________________