Effect of Cr content on the corrosion performance of low-Cr alloy steel in a CO2 environment

Abstract Low-Cr alloy steel demonstrates lower corrosion rate than does C steel in a high-temperature and high-pressure CO2-containing environment. This study aimed to clarify the role of the Cr content in mitigating corrosion and reports the performance of 1%Cr, 2%Cr, 3%Cr, 4%Cr, 5%Cr, and 6.5%Cr steels. The results show that low-Cr alloy steel in CO2 at 80 °C and 0.8 MPa possesses spontaneous prepassivation characteristics when the Cr content is 3% or higher. Furthermore, the formation and peel-off of a prepassivation film on 3%Cr–6.5%Cr steels surfaces during polarization demonstrate that adequate amount of Cr in the steel substrate can cause protective layer. The main component of prepassivation film on 3%Cr steel is Cr(OH)3. Thus, the role of Cr is revealed. An adequate amount of Cr in the steel substrate causes the formation of protective Cr(OH)3 layer, which helps low-Cr steel to possess prepassivation characteristics. Prepassivation is the reason why low-Cr steel has a lower corrosion rate than C steel.