Stress Corrosion Cracking of Carbon Steel in Ethanol

Abstract This paper presents the results of a study on the effects of water, acetic acid (CH3COOH), oxygen, corrosion inhibitor, chloride, methanol (CH3OH), denaturant, and corrosion product on the stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of steel in ethanol (C2H5OH). The factor that was found to have the greatest effect on causing SCC was corrosion potential, as influenced by oxygen. The lower critical potential for SCC ranges from 25 mV vs. saturated calomel electrode (SCE) to 300 mVSCE, depending on the presence of chloride and methanol as impurities. Galvanic contact with precorroded steel appeared to exacerbate SCC by increasing the corrosion potential. Within the fuel ethanol specification limits, chloride had a less significant effect than oxygen. SCC was intergranular when the chloride concentration in ethanol (both laboratory and field samples) was low (less than 1 ppm) and it was transgranular when the chloride concentration was high (32 mg/L). A denaturant, a corrosion inhibitor, and acidity, within the...