An experimental apparatus has been constructed to simulate rapid thermal-cycling conditions in coalgasitication environments, as experienced by metal components of a ceramic gas-filtration system. A comparative study of the corrosion resistances of several commercial iron-nickel-chromium-base alloys in a equilibrated argon-14.1%H2-11. 1%H2O-0. 1%H2S-0.08%HCl gas at 600°C has been undertaken. Tests were carried out under isothermal, conventional thermal-cycling and very rapid thermal-cycling conditions (1 min cooling, giving
temperature decreases of 160° to 280°C, repeated every 6 min). Degradation of the alloys involved the development of oxide scales in the early stages, followed by breakdown and growth of sulphide-rich scales.
Thermal cycling involving conventional cool-to-room-temperature cycles generally resulted in increases in the rates of degradation of the alloys, probably by facilitating failure of the transient scales and enhancing the rates of transport across the steady-state scales. However, rapid thermal cycling often resulted in reduced metal loss and thinner scales than isothermal exposure, possibly due to debonding in the scale or at the scalelalloy interface, thereby reducing the rate of cation transport across the scale. Keywords: thermal cycling, high-temperature corrosion sulphidation coal gasification high-temperature alloys.