Iron aluminizes, both in the form of diffusion coatings on low alloy steels, as well as in alloy or weld overlay form have generally shown excellent corrosion resistance in laboratory tests simulating gasifier and other reducing environments in energy conversion systems. However, the performance of aluminized coatings in gasifiers has generally been
unacceptable. Coatings, containing up to 30%Al near the surface, were quite often totally destroyed in 2000-5000 hrs exposure. Here we report on laboratory corrosion tests to elucidate this discrepancy. Both high pressure (41 atm) and atmospheric pressure tests were carried out. The test confirmed the excellent corrosion resistance of iron aluminide in reducing gases containing H2S, even when significant quantities of HCl are present. However, iron aluminizes were found to be extremely susceptible to aqueous corrosion during downtime. Moreover once the protective scale was destroyed, it did not reform easily. Concentration of chloride species at the metal surface during downtime is considered the root cause of the scale degradation mechanism. Keywords: Sulfidation, Oxidation,Chlorination, Iron aluminizes, Stainless Steel, Gasifiers