Computaional Modeling of the Stability of Crevice Corrosion of Wetted SS316L

The stability of localized corrosion sites on SS 316L exposed to atmospheric conditions was studied computationally. The localized corrosion system was decoupled computationally by considering the wetted cathode and the crevice anode separately and linking them via a constant potential boundary condition at the mouth of the crevice. The potential of interest for stability was the repassivation potential. The limitations on the ability of the cathode that are inherent due to the restricted geometry were assessed in terms of the dependence on physical and electrochemical parameters. Physical parameters studied include temperature, electrolyte layer thickness, solution conductivity, and the size of the cathode, as well as the crevice gap for the anode. The current demand of the crevice was determined considering a constant crevice solution composition that simulates the critical crevice solution as described in the literature. An analysis of variance showed that the solution conductivity and the length of the cathode were the most important parameters in determining the total cathodic current capacity of the external surface. A semi-analytical equation was derived for the total current from a restricted geometry held at a constant potential at one end. The equation was able to reproduce all the model computation results both for the wetted external cathode and the crevice and give good explanation on the effects of physicochemical and kinetic parameters.