Ceramics coating materials for corrosion control of crude oil distillation column: Experimental and theoretical studies

Abstract Corrosion of stainless steels in atmospheric crude oil distillation column was studied in presence and absence of the ceramic coatings at different temperatures and exposure times using the weight loss technique. Thermal spray coating method was employed to deposit the coating. Weight loss of the stainless steel increased with temperature and time, and significantly decreased in the presence of a coating. Maximum coating efficiency of 93.3% was approached in the presence of Al2O3 coating. Surface morphology investigations using atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy showed a lower corrosion effect in the presence of a coating. Thickness and porosity of coating were determined to be the most significant factors. Mathematical and statistical analyses were performed as a powerful tool for data representation. Second-order polynomial and exponential models were suggested to represent weight loss data as a function of time and temperature with high correlation coefficients. Corrosion rate data varied with temperature according to the Arrhenius equation. Activation energy without coating is lower, than that with the coating, which indicates that the reaction needs a lower energy in the absence of coating. Petroleum chemistry data and local investigations showed that the main factor influencing the corrosion of crude oil distillation columns is the sulphur content, which had a significant effect more than other contaminates of crude oil.