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Iron Oxidation at Low Temperature (260–500 °C) in Air and the Effect of Water Vapor

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Abstract

The oxidation of iron has been studied at low temperatures (between 260 and 500 °C) in dry air or air with 2 vol% H2O, in the framework of research on dry corrosion of nuclear waste containers during long-term interim storage. Pure iron is regarded as a model material for low-alloyed steel. Oxidation tests were performed in a thermobalance (up to 250 h) or in a laboratory furnace (up to 1000 h). The oxide scales formed were characterized using SEM-EDX, TEM, XRD, SIMS and EBSD techniques. The parabolic rate constants deduced from microbalance experiments were found to be in good agreement with the few existing values of the literature. The presence of water vapor in air was found to strongly influence the transitory stages of the kinetics. The entire structure of the oxide scale was composed of an internal duplex magnetite scale made of columnar grains and an external hematite scale made of equiaxed grains. 18O tracer experiments performed at 400 °C allowed to propose a growth mechanism of the scale.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge Claude Armand (INSA Toulouse) for SIMS Analysis, Patrick Bonaillie and Sylvie Poissonnet (CEA) for SEM observations, Rikke Ollemann (HKL Technology) and Daniel Galy (Synergie4) for EBSD analysis, Fabrice Legendre and Sébastien Cabessut (CEA) for 16O2/18O2 oxidation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CEA, DEN/DPC/SCCME Laboratory of Non Aqueous Corrosion, 91191, Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex, France

    N. Bertrand & C. Desgranges

  2. CIRIMAT CNRS INPT UPS, ENSIACET, 31077, Toulouse, France

    N. Bertrand, D. Poquillon, M. C. Lafont & D. Monceau

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  1. N. Bertrand
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  2. C. Desgranges
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  3. D. Poquillon
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  4. M. C. Lafont
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  5. D. Monceau
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Correspondence to C. Desgranges.

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Bertrand, N., Desgranges, C., Poquillon, D. et al. Iron Oxidation at Low Temperature (260–500 °C) in Air and the Effect of Water Vapor. Oxid Met 73, 139–162 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11085-009-9171-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11085-009-9171-0

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