Hot Corrosion and Degradation in Complex Atmospheres

Abstract

Presented in this focus issue of Oxidation of Metals are key papers that deal with hot corrosion and degradation in complex atmospheres. This specific topic is commonly addressed because numerous industrial applications face several imposed constraints such as reduction of CO2 emissions or limitation in fossil fuel reserves. Specific industrial examples are power generation and urban waste incineration. The atmospheres encountered in many advanced industrial processes are very rarely single oxidant, as illustrated by most of combustion gases which invariably contain carbonaceous species, water vapour, and quite commonly sulfur species derived from the impurities present in most fossil fuels. In addition, liquid phases are likely to be formed and deposited on the surface of components as a result of interactions between the combustion gases and the inorganic compounds present in the atmosphere such as halide, sulfate, carbonate or aluminosilicate salts. In such cases, aggravated degradation of materials is expected due to the superpositioning of chemical-degradation processes e.g., oxidation and oxide dissolution by acidic or basic fluxing.