Corrosion of 316L stainless steel by sulfuric acid
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This post was last edited by sunjl1981 on 2013-1-6 22:42. Does sulfuric acid, whether concentrated or dilute, have a corrosive effect on 316L stainless steel? -
Concentrated sulfuric acid certainly will not cause damage, and the corrosion effect of dilute sulfuric acid is likely to be minimal as well. For dilute sulfuric acid, it is recommended to use steel-reinforced plastic composite pipes, as they are more resistant to such acid and also result in lower overall costs.
Concentrated sulfuric acid (at low temperatures) as well as dilute sulfuric acid have little corrosive effect on 316L. However, if the flow rate of concentrated sulfuric acid is high, the passivation film formed on the surface of 316L can also be damaged, leading to corrosion. Dilute sulfuric acid causes significant corrosion of 316L, and this corrosion is highly dependent on temperature – the higher the temperature, the more severe the corrosion.
316L material is generally not used in sulfuric acid media; 316L is mainly suitable for high-temperature acid environments. In our factory, carbon steel is used for handling sulfuric acid.