Sources of electrochemical noise in corroding systems

The electrochemical noise method is reasonably well established as a technique that can estimate corrosion rate through the electrochemical noise resistance or impedance. A more interesting potential application is the identification of the nature of the corrosion process. In this paper, a number of corrosion types are examined, and it is concluded that the majority constitute a form of shot noise, possibly with a superimposed baseline current. Methods by which parameters describing the shot noise process can be estimated from the measured data are presented. It appears to be feasible to extract the charge in the shot noise events, and their frequency, providing all of the anodic or cathodic current, is associated with these events. However, the analysis requires a number of assumptions that are not always valid, and these are discussed. Finally, some alternative methods that have been used to identify the type of corrosion are briefly discussed. Published in Russian in Elektrokhimiya, 2006, Vol. 42, No. 5, pp. 557–566. The text was submitted by the author in English.