Effects of solution environments under disbonded coatings on the corrosion behaviors of X70 pipeline steel in acidic soils

A rectangle crevice assembly was used to study the effects of cathodic protection (CP) potential, crevice thickness, holiday size, bubbling CO₂, and surface condition on the chemical and electrochemical environment of the local solution under disbonded coatings. It is found that the cathodic protection removes dissolved oxygen from the crevice and thus shifts the solution to a more alkaline state. Furthermore, the potential of the steel reaches the protected potential range. The available protection distance increases with the negative applying potential. The steady potential and pH distribution are easily achieved, but the polarization degree is not satisfied within the thinner crevice. The difference in the solution environment is found to correlate to the holiday size. The smaller the holiday, the smaller the difference is. The presence of CO₂ inhibits the formation of an alkaline environment. It is also found that the rust layer dramatically decreases the polarization rate in the crevice.