Corrosion Mechanism of Corrosion-Resistant Steel Developed for Bottom Plate of Cargo Oil Tanks

A new type of corrosion-resistant steel consisting of ferrite and bainite phases was developed for cargo oil tanks of crude oil tankers. The corrosion rate of this new steel was 0.22 mm/a, which was equivalent to ca. 1/5 of the criterion（≤1 mm/a） for corrosion-resistant steels. The composition and element distribution of the corrosion products were investigated by micro-Raman spectrometry and energy dispersive spectrometer. The results demonstrated that the corrosion product wascomposed of α-FeOOH, Fe3O4 and a continuous Cu enrichment layer. This kind of corrosion product was protective to the steel matrix and accounted for the enhancement of the corrosion resistance of the new developed steel.