Numerical Simulation for Crevice Corrosion of 304 Stainless Steel in Sodium Chloride Solution

The authors presented a mechanistic model describing the chemical reactions within a corroded thin, narrow crevice. In the mathematical model, a two-dimensional steady-state was used to predict the crevice pH profile by taking into account dissolved oxygen and hydrogen ions within the crevice. It consists of six parallel electrochemical reactions： multi anodic reactions（Fe, Cr, Ni dissolution reactions） and three cathodic reactions（the oxygen reduction, the hydrogen reaction and water dissociation）. Current density distribution and oxygen concentration distribution were determined to be corresponding to the evolution of potential distribution within the crevice. The contribution of each metal reaction to the overall corrosion process was in proportion to the mole fraction, and the simulation pro vided a good agreement with published experimental results for the crevice corrosion of stainless steel in sodium chloride solution.