The Rotating Cylinder Electrode for Examining Velocity-Sensitive Corrosion—A Review

Of the laboratory devices available for examining the effects of single-phase fluid flow on corrosion, the rotating cylinder electrode is probably one of the simplest devices to construct and operate under defined hydrodynamics in the turbulent flow regime. This review examines several areas important to the use of this device for examining velocity-sensitive corrosion in single-phase fluids: —the numerous correlations that have been developed to calculate the Sherwood number (mass-transfer coefficient) from the Reynolds and Schmidt numbers for a hydraulically smooth cylinder surface—the effect that surface roughness caused by corrosion and deposits might have on the correlations—a methodology and its limitations for estimating the conditions in the rotating cylinder electrode that could best indicate if mass transfer influences corrosion in several other geometries—a survey of a variety of corrosion-related studies using the rotating cylinder electrode to provide an overview of the large number of applications of this technology and a source for further reading Although this device has been applied successfully, users have sometimes overlooked its limitations, and some of its characteristics still need further attention.