Effect of Heat Treatment on Intergranular Corrosion Resistance of Inconel 625 Used as Inner Lining for X65 Steel Based Bimetallic Pipes

doi:10.11901/1005.3093.2024.519

Chinese Journal of Materials Research

2025, Vol. 39

Issue (10): 743-754 DOI: 10.11901/1005.3093.2024.519

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Effect of Heat Treatment on Intergranular Corrosion Resistance of Inconel 625 Used as Inner Lining for X65 Steel Based Bimetallic Pipes

SU Rui¹^,², SHAN Yiyin¹^,³(

), YAN Wei¹^,³, LIU Geng¹^,², REN Yi⁴, SHI Xianbo¹^,³

1 School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Shenyang 110016, China
2 Shi-changxu Innovation Center for Advanced Materials, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
3 CAS Key Laboratory of Nuclear Materials and Safety Assessment, Shenyang 110016, China
4 State Key Laboratory of Metal Material for Marine Equipment and Application, Anshan 114009, China

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SU Rui, SHAN Yiyin, YAN Wei, LIU Geng, REN Yi, SHI Xianbo. Effect of Heat Treatment on Intergranular Corrosion Resistance of Inconel 625 Used as Inner Lining for X65 Steel Based Bimetallic Pipes. Chinese Journal of Materials Research, 2025, 39(10): 743-754.

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Abstract

In order to improve the overall performance of bimetallic pipelines and optimize their industrial production processes, herein, the effect of different heat treatment procedures on the intergranular corrosion resistance of Inconel 625, as the lining material for bimetallic pipes was studied by taking the pre-requirements for ensuring the performance of the substrate steel X65 into account. Results show that the relationship of heat treatment parameters with microstructure, and corrosion resistance is revealed for the Inconel 625 alloy. The alloy exhibits the best corrosion resistance when subjected to a special heat treatment procedure, which involves holding at 1000 ^oC for 40 min followed by rapid water quenching through the sensitization zone, and then air cooling. In this state, the alloy shows the lowest annual corrosion rate with only slight intergranular corrosion observed on the surface. As the heat treatment temperature increases from 850 ^oC to 1000 ^oC, the intergranular corrosion resistance of the alloy improves progressively. The three key factors influencing the intergranular corrosion behavior of the alloy include grain size, the proportion of low ΣCSL grain boundaries, and intergranular sensitization. The larger the average grain size and the lower the boundary density, the lower the annual corrosion rate. A higher proportion of low ΣCSL grain boundaries can effectively inhibit the propagation of corrosion cracks in the substrate, thereby significantly enhancing the intergranular corrosion resistance. The precipitation of M₂₃C₆ at grain boundaries leads to Cr depletion there, which reduces the corrosion resistance. This study clarifies the main mechanisms affecting the intergranular corrosion performance of bimetallic pipeline corrosion-resistant alloy liner and reveals their variations with heat treatment procedures. The findings provide important theoretical guidance for the industrial production of high-performance bimetallic pipelines.

Key words: composite corrosion resistance sulfuric acid corrosion Inconel 625 M₂₃C₆

Received: 31 December 2024

ZTFLH:

TG174.3

Fund: Special Project the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology(2240STCZB2346);Open Fund of State Key Laboratory of Marine Equipment(SKLMEA-K202205);National Natural Science Foundation of China(52201093)

Corresponding Authors: SHAN Yiyin, Tel: (024)23971517, E-mail: yyshan@imr.ac.cn

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	SU Rui
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	SHI Xianbo

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https://www.cjmr.org/EN/10.11901/1005.3093.2024.519 OR https://www.cjmr.org/EN/Y2025/V39/I10/743

Fig.1 Phase diagram of Inconel 625 alloy

Fig.2 Schematic structure of corrosion test

Fig.3 Metallographic microstructure of Inconel 625 alloy in different states (a) as-rolled, (b) air-cooled at 850 ^oC, (c) water-cooled at 950 ^oC, (d) water-cooled at 1000 ^oC

Fig.4 Annual corrosion rate of Inconel 625 alloy in different states

Fig.5 Corrosion morphology of Inconel 625 alloy in different states (a) as-rolled, (b) air-cooled at 850 ^oC, (c) water-cooled at 950 ^oC, (d) water-cooled at 1000 ^oC

Fig.6 XRD patterns of corroded Inconel 625 alloy surfaces in different states (a) and zoomed-in view (b)

Fig.7 IPF maps and grain size distribution of Inconel 625 alloy in different states (a, d) air-cooled at 850 ^oC, (b, e) water-cooled at 950 ^oC, (c, f) water-cooled at 1000 ^oC

Fig.8 CSL maps and grain boundary proportion distribution of Inconel 625 alloy in different states (a, d) air-cooled at 850 ^oC, (b, e) water-cooled at 950 ^oC, (c, f) water-cooled at 1000 ^oC

Fig.9 Schematic diagrams of random grain boundaries and ΣCSL grain boundaries^[32,34] (a) high-angle random grain boundary corrosion model, (b) low ΣCSL grain boundary corrosion model, (c) microstructure of high-angle random grain boundaries, (d) microstructure of Σ3 grain boundaries

Fig.10 Microstructure of Inconel 625 alloy in different states (a) as-rolled, (b) air-cooled at 850 ^oC, (c) water-cooled at 950 ^oC, (d) water-cooled at 1000 ^oC

Fig.11 TEM analysis of M₂₃C₆ carbide precipitation at grain boundaries in Inconel 625 alloy Air-Cooled at 850 ^oC (a) dark-field image of grain boundaries, (b, c) EDS maps of grain boundaries, (d) selected area electron diffraction pattern in the grain interior^[19]

Fig.12 Schematic diagram of intergranular corrosion caused by chromium-depleted zones^[35]

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