Components made from cast nickel aluminum bronze have been used extensively in some
seawater systems because of their generally good toughness. However, this alloy can be susceptible to
selective phase corrosion. This has led to requirements for removal of components on a fixed timetable
to test for the presence of this corrosion. Significant savings in cost and labor could be achieved if
components were only removed when significant corrosion damage had actually occurred. In an effort
to find a useful method for online corrosion monitoring, several electrochemical techniques were
assessed to determine if they could detect the onset of selective phase corrosion in specimens
exposed to clean, flowing seawater that was subject to occasional injections of sulfides liberated from
decaying marine organisms. Prior to immersion in the seawater, individual specimens were subjected
to different heat treatments intended to either enhance or reduce susceptibility to selective phase
corrosion. At the conclusion of the electrochemical tests, specimens were sectioned and inspected for
evidence of selective attack.