Abstract
Heavy oil production, oil sand and mineral processing require protection of steel components against sand erosion and erosion-corrosion. Boronized coatings on carbon steels obtained through thermal diffusion process were evaluated in the dry sand and slurry erosion conditions at low impingement angles commonly occurred in industrial applications. The specially designed system allowed testing either multiple sets of samples or full-size tubular sections with diameters of 180–220 mm. The boronized coatings consisted of dual iron boride layers FeB and Fe2B with a total thickness of ~200 μm demonstrated significantly higher erosion resistance over carbon steel commonly used in industry. High performance of the boride coatings is defined by their high hardness, dual protective layer with a well-consolidated structure and diffusion related bonding with steels. Erosion wear mechanism is discussed based on examination of coating's structure and composition and analysis of testing conditions. The components and tubing with inner or inner and outer protective iron boride coatings can be successfully employed in downhole oil production conditions, mineral processing and various engineering applications.
Published Version
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