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Inhibitors are chemicals that react with a metallic surface, or the environment this surface is exposed to, giving the surface a certain level of protection (see corrosion costs study findings).Inhibitors often work by adsorbing themselves on the metallic surface, protecting the metallic surface by forming a film. Inhibitors are normally distributed from a solution or dispersion. Some are included in a protective coating formulation. Inhibitors slow corrosion processes by either:
Increasing the anodic or cathodic polarization behavior (Tafel slopes);
Reducing the movement or diffusion of ions to the metallic surface;
Increasing the electrical resistance of the metallic surface.
The scientific and technical corrosion literature has descriptions and lists of numerous chemical compounds that exhibit inhibitive properties. Of these, only very few are actually used in practice. This is partly due to the fact that the desirable properties of an inhibitor usually extend beyond those simply related to metal protection. Considerations of cost, toxicity, availability and environmental friendliness are of considerable importance.
Inhibitors have been classified differently by various authors. Some authors, for example, prefer to group inhibitors by their chemical functionality. However, by far the most popular organization scheme consists in regrouping corrosion inhibitors in a functionality scheme.
Despite the developments in corrosion resistant alloys over the past few decades, carbon steel still constitutes an estimated 99% of the material used in the oil industry. It is usually the most cost effective option, being a factor of 3 to 5 times cheaper than stainless steels. Yet its corrosion resistance is poor in aggressive environments, and the cost savings can only be realized by adding a corrosion inhibitor to the environment or applying a protective coating to the steel. Inhibitors are used in a wide range of applications, such as oil pipelines, domestic central heating systems, industrial water cooling systems and metal extraction plants.
A particular advantage of corrosion inhibition is that it can be implemented or changed in situ without disrupting a process. The major industries using corrosion inhibitors are the oil and gas exploration and production industry, the petroleum refining industry, the chemical industry, heavy industrial manufacturing industry, water treatment facilities, and the product additive industries. The largest consumption of corrosion inhibitors is in the oil industry, particularly in the petroleum refining industry. The total consumption of corrosion inhibitors in the United States has doubled from approximately $600 million in 1982 to nearly $1.1 billion in 1998. (reference)
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