Generalized diffuse interface model for determination of kinetic parameters in high-temperature internal corrosion reactions (gas/solid system)

Abstract

Diffuse Interface Model (DIM) is introduced to describe the mechanism of high-temperature corrosion/internal oxidation. The zone has dissolved oxygen and metal atoms diffuse and react resulting in the inward movement of zone. The high-temperature oxidation data for cobalt, iron, and nickel, which are for metal deficit (p-type), have been analyzed using a nonlinear optimization method to obtain the optimal values for different parameters, diffusivity of metal atoms in metal oxide, diffiusivity of gaseous species in the corrosion product, diffusivity of oxidant in the unreacted solid (metal or alloy), the rate constant for the reaction and the fraction of the zone reacted. The expression for diffusivity in the reaction zone has been modified by relating diffusivities of the product layer and the core as function of fraction of zone reacted. The model was applied to the experimental data for the high-temperature oxidation of cobalt, iron, and nickel by pure oxygen at an atmospheric pressure. The model predicts the values of diffusion coefficients, preexponential factors, and activation energies for diffusion process, which are generally compared favorably with those reported in the literature. Linear relationship are derived relating the diffusion coefficient in the core and product layer to the parabolic rate constant which is valid for iron, cobalt, and nickel for high-temperature oxidation (900–1350°C) by oxygen at an atmospheric pressure according to the following equations: \scriptfont4=\seveni \scriptscriptfont4=\fivei $$D_{\rm P}=1.4\times 10^{-8} \it k_{g}$$ $$D_{\rm C}=6.9\times 10^{-9} \it k_{g}$$ The results of the model have been successfully used to predict the experimentally determined parabolic rate constants for the oxidation of cobalt at high temperatures for two different investigators [6,7] under similar conditions. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 30: 903–912, 1998