The corrosion resistance of low carbon steel in flowing sugar juice: The analysis of polarization curves from a laboratory flow system

A study of the corrosion of mild steel in sugar juice in a laboratory flow rig has shown that oxygen reduction, which is the dominant cathodic reaction and comes under mixed activation and mass transport control, remains the dominant cathodic reaction at flow rates corresponding to normal factory operation and as combined polarization was still observed, the linear polarization resistance method is not applicable. The surface film whose resistance increases with time deposits on the working electrode, leads to a reduction in the corrosion rate and counteracts the increase in corrosion rate expected with an increase in flow rate.