Understand the impact of hydrogen sulfide in petrochemical industry atmospheres on steel corrosion

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Metal equipment, especially steel, suffers severe corrosion when used in an environment containing humid hydrogen sulfide. Hydrogen sulfide can not only corrode the surface of materials but also cause changes in the internal structure of steel, reducing its properties and leading to significant economic losses as well as safety incidents. Steel suffers severe corrosion when used in an environment containing humid hydrogen sulfide. This is because hydrogen sulfide is highly soluble in water; it is a weakly acidic and toxic gas. In a humid environment, it readily ionizes, increasing the conductivity of the water film and thus accelerating the rate of electrochemical reactions. Furthermore, hydrogen sulfide can cause not only general corrosion but also local corrosion in steel. Cracks resulting from localized corrosion such as hydrogen-induced cracking and stress corrosion cracking originate within the metal; by then the internal structure has often already been damaged, yet it is difficult to detect this from the outside. As a result, accidents caused by such corrosion occur suddenly and catastrophically, posing a serious threat to human safety.