Laboratory-scale method for high-temperature gas-to-solid deposition and corrosion studies – P235GH and AISI316 exposed to PbCl₂ and KCl

A novel experimental setup was developed and tested to investigate high-temperature corrosion under temperature gradients. The setup considers simultaneous deposit formation and corrosion. The setup is composed of an air-cooled probe with an exchangeable vertically aligned steel sample, inserted into a hot tube furnace. The experiments were conducted by exposing P235GH and AISI316 steel samples to PbCl₂ and KCl. The salt material was vaporized from a crucible. The salt subsequently nucleated on the cooled sample surface. Material temperatures of 350–500 °C and atmospheric temperatures of 650–750 °C were tested. PbCl₂ deposition increased with higher atmospheric temperatures. In addition, the oxide layer thicknesses increased with higher material and atmospheric temperatures. The presence of KCl together with PbCl₂ further enhanced corrosion. The formation of FeCl₂ induced the formation of eutectic molten phases, enhancing the corrosion. This research contributes to understanding the challenges posed by high-temperature corrosion in waste-fired boilers.