Effect of the sea mud on erosion–corrosion behaviors of carbon steel and low alloy steel in 2.4% NaCl solution

This paper presents the results of a series of tests under liquid–solid erosion conditions using a modified rotating disk rig. The aim of the study was to assess the effect of the sea mud of Zhoushan area in China on erosion–corrosion behaviors of carbon steel and low alloy steel under laboratory conditions. The results showed that the critical flow velocity for 3C carbon steel and 10CrMoAl low alloy steel in 2.4% NaCl solution without sea mud was 3 and 4 m/s, respectively. With the increasing of sea mud (6.6 μm) content, the erosion–corrosion rate of test steels decreased. In contrast, if silica sand (38 μm) was used, the erosion–corrosion rate increased with the increasing of sand content. The possible reasons for the abnormal phenomenon were discussed. Hence, it should be very careful if the rotating disk rig is used to do the erosion–corrosion experiment with very fine sea mud. Corrosion played a dominant role for material removal in sea mud containing solutions under the erosion–corrosion condition and the erosion effect of the sea mud was not significant. Therefore, how to improve the corrosion resistance rather than erosion resistance of materials is the key to prolong the lifetime of flow-handling components operated in the sea of Zhoushan area in China.