Electrochemical Corrosion Behavior of API 5L X52 Pipeline Steel in Soil Environment

In this work, the corrosion rate of X52 pipeline steel used in Algerian soil was calculated and compared to that of a simulated soil solution (NS4). The effect of soil related parameters such as pH, temperature and immersion time on the corrosion of steel in NS4 solution is studied using different methods such as open circuit potential, potentiodynamic polarization, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and energy dispersive spectrometry (EDX) coupled with scanning electron microscopy. The results are well correlated and showed that the corrosion rate increases when the medium is acidic or alkaline and when the temperature increases. The load transfer resistance increases with immersion time up to 3 days and then decreases with the presence of a film of corrosion products on the steel surface which becomes porous. It was also found that the corrosion rate of X52 steel immersed in the aqueous soil extract collected in southern Algeria is the lowest.