The Effect of Sodium Hydroxide on Niobium Carbide Precipitates in Thermally Sensitised 20Cr-25Ni-Nb Austenitic Stainless Steel

Niobium-stabilised austenitic stainless steel (20Cr-25Ni-Nb) has been immersed in sodium hydroxide, which is used as a corrosion inhibitor. The work shows how NbC precipitates may be degraded by use of pH 13 NaOH. Initial electrochemical measurements indicate that there is no benefit to this pretreatment as regards long-term corrosion inhibition, and post corrosion imaging shows the initiation of pitting corrosion at Nb-rich precipitates still present in the microstructure.