Open Access

Within the last years the use of geothermal energy as feasible energy source has risen and is going to replace fossil fuel supply more and more. Nevertheless, Service conditions in geothermal facilities are due to the Chemical composition of hydrothermal fluids and temperatures, in many cases, extreme in terms of corrosion. Since the construction of geothermal power plants shall be economical with maximum life Service, materials selection based on preliminary material qualification is essential to guarantee a secure and reliable Operation ofthose facilities. The materials selection depends on the location of a power plant respectively on the Chemical composition of the produced aquifer fluid. The duplex Steel is often used as allround solution not only for the construction of geothermal power plants, because of its combination of good mechanical and corrosion properties and its lower costs compared to other highly alloyed materials. But there are limits for the use of the duplex-steel 1.4462 regarding its corrosion behavior, with which this contribution deals. The limitations of suitability of duplex steel 1.4462 in the geothermal fluids of Molasse Basin and Upper Rhine Graben obtained by means of electrochemical measurements and exposure tests are presented below. While 1.4462 in the artificial Molasse Basin Fluid shows an excellent corrosion resistance against pitting and uniform corrosion it presents low corrosion resistance in the artificial Upper Rhine Graben Fluid due to the difference in salinity. Besides it shows a limited corrosion resistance concerning crevice corrosion.

In the last years, geothermal power has become a reliable and significant energy source. Because service conditions in geothermal facilities from deeply located aquifers are usually critical in terms of corrosion, materials selection is a very important issue. Preliminary evaluation of the material's suitability represents therefore a valuable strategy to ensure a secure and reliable operation of the facilities. In geothermal applications, the use of high-alloyed materials such as superaustenitic stainless steels, duplex stainless steels, and nickel-based alloys has been considered as a good alternative because of their remarkable corrosion resistance and appropriate mechanical properties. Nevertheless, the corrosion behavior of those metallic materials in geothermal fluids at service conditions has not been determined in many cases. In this work, laboratory tests including electrochemical investigations and exposure tests at 100 degrees C and 150 degrees C (1,500 kPa) showed the limits of suitability concerning localized corrosion of three different, corrosion-resistant alloys in the highly saline fluid of the North German Basin.

The corrosion behavior of different high-alloyed metals including duplex and austenitic stainless Steels as well as a nickel alloy have been evaluated in artificial geothermal fluids simulating the conditions in the Upper Rhine Graben and the Northern German Basin, some locations with geothermal potential in Germany. The suitability of UNSS31803, UNS S32760 and super austenitic Steel UNS N08031 in These geothermal fluids obtained by electrochemical measurements and exposure tests is limited. The nickel alloy UNS N06059 shows an excellent corrosion resistance against pitting corrosion. Excluding its high cost, it is a very good alternative to be used in the construction of geothermal facilities having highly saline brines. Stainless and duplex steels exhibit a limited corrosion resistance concerning pitting and crevice corrosion.

Since geothermal wells are a feasible energy source to replace fossil fuel supply, many technologies have been developed to take advantage of geothermal energy. Nevertheless, service conditions in geothermal facilities are due to the chemical composition of hydrothermal waters and temperatures, in many cases, extreme in terms of corrosion. Therefore, materials selection based on preliminary material qualification is essential to guarantee a secure and reliable operation of the facilities. This contribution deals with the evaluation of the corrosion behavior of different steels in flowing low saline, slightly alkaline, artificial geothermal water simulating the conditions in the Molasse-Basin, a location with geothermal potential in Germany. Test results for steels UNS S31603 and UNS S31803 exposed to this geothermal water obtained by electrochemical measurements and exposure tests are presented. Results obtained in static and flowing water condition show good performance of both alloys with a possible onset of localized corrosion at UNS S31603 in static conditions.