What Does Thermogalvanic Corrosion Mean?
Thermogalvanic corrosion is a type of corrosion that results from the action of temperature differences in electrolysis. The two metal electrodes in an electrolyte have different potentials; hence, the anode corrodes more than the cathode. The potential difference between the two metals is determined from the listing of the standard equilibrium potentials. The standard potential is known to assume the standard metal surface in any given standard solution that contains its ions at unit concentration.
In practice, metals have films on their surfaces, and when exposed to non-standard environments, they result in unreliable potential guides for the two corroding metals. Thermogalvanic corrosion is encountered mostly in heat exchangers where there are temperature differences. The region with the higher temperature in the metal acts as the anode, and the cooler acts as the cathode. The anode undergoes high rates of thermogalvanic corrosion, which is associated with high temperatures.