Unravelling the Role of Interfacial Effects on Corrosion Thermodynamics in CCS

Corrosion has enormous economic, safety, and environmental impacts. In CO2 capture and storage (CCS), CO2 and acidic impurities can significantly accelerate corrosion when water is present. When the water composition is below the solubility limit in the CO2-rich phase, water can still form thin films with a thickness of only a few nanometers at metal surfaces. In thin films, dissolved gases and metal cations form a complex aqueous system that involves thermodynamics, chemical reactions, and interface science. Corrosion below thin films is called dry corrosion and is a phenomenon largely influenced by interfacial effects. By combining fundamental thermodynamics with interfacial models, InterCorr aims to reliably predict when dry corrosion can occur across wide ranges in temperature, pressure, and compositions, extending beyond the range of existing experiments and empirical correlations.InterCorr will develop a consistent thermodynamics framework in bulk systems and below thin films, providing a modeling tool as well as new insights into how interfacial effects influence the solubility, pH, chemical potential, density, and other key thermodynamic parameters that have direct impact on corrosion. Developments in this project can help develop new, more affordable corrosion-resistant alloys and better ways to prevent corrosion.