Three FeaAl and two Ni45Cr thermal spray coatings were tested in Ar-3.5H2-0. 1H2S for 500h at 600°C and compared to AISI 1008 steel. The thre3 Fe3Al-type coatings were processed from the same lot of gas atomized Fe3Al powder using a high velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) thermal spray process and an air plasma spray (APS) process. In general, the Fe3Al-type composition displayed excellent resistance to sulfidation corrosion at 600°C which correlated with the reported literature on wrought Fe3Al alloys. HVOF processing did not significantly degrade the composition of the consumable and produced coatings with low porosity, low oxide content, high sulfidation resistance, and high resistance to sulfur penetration. In contrast, APS processing caused significant degradation to the particles which reduced the sulfidation resistance of the coating and enabled local sulfidation attack at alloy depleted regions.
The APS processed Fe3Al coating also contained high porosity which enabled sulfir to filly penetrate the splat boundaries of the coating to the substrate. The two Ni45Cr-type coatings were produced using different processes and different consumables. One of the Ni45Cr coatings was processed using a proprietary wire combustion arc-spray (CAS) process. The second Ni45Cr coating was processed using a HVOF spray process. Both NiCr-type coatings reacted moderately with the sulfidizing gas at 600°C to form a mixed chromium oxide-sulfide scale despite marked differences in coating structure and composition. CAS processing caused significant degradation of the Ni45Cr consumable and produced a coating with low porosity and high oxide content. In contrast, HVOF processing caused negligible degradation of the Ni45Cr consumable and produced a coating with low porosity and moderate oxide content.