One-Dimensional Porous Electrode Model for Predicting the Corrosion Rate under a Conductive Corrosion Product Layer

General corrosion is the main form of corrosion likely to affect carbon steels in an anoxic and near neutral environment such as encountered in the context of long term storage of steel canisters in a deep geological repository. This paper aims at studying the influence of the electrical and geometrical properties of a siderite corrosion product layers (CPL) formed in such conditions on its stability and on its subsequent protective properties against corrosion. A 1-D numerical model describing general corrosion under a porous conductive CPL and accounting for chemical evolution in the electrolyte is presented. It is demonstrated that a conductive layer with a cathodic activity increases the corrosion rate and the Fe2+ ions concentration. Otherwise, a conductive layer leads to high saturation levels of siderite and high pH values within the CPL and consequently to a stabilization of the CPL. It is shown also that the stability of the CPL is promoted when it is initially thick and/or when it has a low porosity. (C) The Author(s) 2017. Published by ECS. All rights reserved.