Corrosion Analysis
by X-Ray Diffraction

X-ray diffraction (XRD) represents the method of choice for the analysis of corrosion products, as it is the only analysis method that readily provides information about the phase-composition of solid materials. For example, a mixture of Fe4O4 (magnetite), FeO(OH) (goethite) and Fe5O7(OH)x4H2O (ferrihydrite) can be identified and quantified as such, while other analysis methods will only reveal that the corrosion product is Fe-based. Furthermore, XRD can readily distinguish between different modifications of phases that have the same chemical formula. For example, goethite, lepidocrocite, feroxyhyte and akaganeite can be told apart, even though they all have the chemical formula FeO(OH).

The identification of phase compositions (as opposed to elemental compositions) is crucial for the understanding of  corrosion processes. Different phases build under different conditions and in different environments. Information about the chemical phases is not only helpful to explain the corrosion process, but can help to locate the origin of corrosion in a facility and, at the same time, provide solutions to the problem. For example, the origin of corrosive scale material in the pipe system of a power plant can be narrowed down, if the corrosive material was identified by XRD as a phase that only builds above a certain temperature and at a specific pH. The process settings of the respective facility section can then be adjusted accordingly to suppress the buildup of the corrosive scale material.

Analysis Services Provided by CAMET Research, Inc.
CAMET Research, Inc. is an independent materials characterization laboratory, which has been providing X-ray analysis services since 1984. Throughout those years, the analysis of corrosion products has been one of the major research fields within our company. A vast amount of reference information, various experiment setups, an extensive set of standard reference materials, quantitative phase analysis software and, most importantly, our accumulated experience in this field give us the tools to characterize even the most uncommon corrosion phases and provide the information that can be the answer to your corrosion problems.

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CAMET Research, Inc. - 6409 Camino Vista #F, Goleta, California 93117 - Tel. (805) 685-1665 - Fax (805) 685-9082  -  E-mail: camet@camet-lab.com