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Microbiologically Induced Corrosion
In many systems which should be only minimally corrosive, severe corrosion
is observed which results from MIC. Examples of such systems include
pipelines, process piping, vessels and water handling equipment. Typically,
biological action can increase the severity of corrosion experienced in both
steel and stainless alloys as a result of:
- Biological deposits on the material surface.
- Production of corrosive chemical species (i.e. H2S from sulfate reducing bacteria - SRB's).
- Disruption of normal electrochemical reactions and film formation.
It is important in these cases to evaluate the system components and media
and chemical treatments which can prevent such problems without interfering
with the baseline materials performance (i.e. pitting of stainless steels
from chlorine injection) or with other chemical treatments for corrosion
inhibition.
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