The significance of ferrous ion oxidation during corrosion of carbon steel in aerated near-neutral aqueous solutions

Numerical models were developed to investigate the significance of ferrous ion oxidation in carbon steel corrosion in near-neutral aerated aqueous solutions. The results demonstrated that the inclusion of ferrous ion oxidation improved the accuracy of pH predictions in deep crevices under cathodic protection and Evan's drop exposure conditions, closely matching experimental observations. The reaction rate for ferrous ion oxidation was found to be between 1 × 1014 and 2 × 1014 (mol/L)-2 atm−1 min−1. These findings highlight the importance of considering ferrous ion oxidation when modelling carbon steel corrosion in near-neutral aerated aqueous solutions.