ANÁLISIS DE LA FLUCTUACIÓN DEL POTENCIAL DE REPOSO EN UN ACERO AISI 1020 INMERSO EN EMULSIONES KEROSENO EN AGUA

Abstract

The variations of natural corrosion potential of a carbon steel (AISI 1020) immersed in dispersed systems, kerosene in water, were examined. Proportions of kerosene in water were between 2 to 70 weight percent. A SCE connected to the working media by a capillary containing an aqueous KCI saturated solution was used as reference system. The capillary ended in an Agar plug, 0.1 M KCI. Solutions were aerated by 15 min. at 25 cm³/s rate of flow both before immersing the electrodes and during the run. A blank experiment consisted in using a deionized distilled water mixed with 1000 ppm of commercial anionic tensoactive, di-2-ethylhexyi sodium sulfosuccianate, as corrosion medium. The fluctuations in rest potential observed for both blank and emulsions revealed the advance of a uniform corrosion process on the steel. These observations matched with the examination of corroded steel surfaces by an optical microscope. For emulsions with oil content greater than or equal to 60%, sudden fluctuations towards more positive potentials were obtained. With time, these potentials tended towards stabilization, reaching negative values just below zero.