Corrosion behavior of X-70 pipe steel in near-neutral pH solution

The mechanism of near-neutral pH stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of natural gas pipelines has not been well-established since the first accident was found in the 1980s. In particular, the role of hydrogen in near-neutral pH SCC has remained unknown. In this work, cyclic voltammetry was used to comprehensively investigate the fundamentals of the electrochemical corrosion reactions occurring at the steel/solution interface in diluted, 5% CO₂/N₂-purged, near-neutral pH bicarbonate solutions. It is shown that there is no stable oxide film formed on the steel surface in near-neutral pH solution. The dissolution-based cracking mechanism does not apply for near-neutral pH SCC of pipelines. The formation of a metastable Fe(OH)₂ deposit layer shows a catalytic activity on hydrogen evolution reaction, indicating that a significant amount of hydrogen could be generated under near-neutral pH condition. The presence of corrosive anions in the soil electrolyte enhances both the anodic polarization of the steel and the cathodic hydrogen evolution reaction, resulting in an increased hydrogen evolution rate. The introduction of oxygen could form a stable oxide film on the surface of steel, resulting in the loss of the surface catalytic effect on hydrogen evolution reaction. Thus, a hydrogen-based mechanism does not apply for SCC in the presence of oxygen.