Experimental and Numerical Study of Eletrodeposition Phenomena of Cobalt-Tungsten (Co-W) Metal Alloys (Atena Editora)

Abstract

Among the constant problems in petroleum and natural gas engineering, severe corrosion issues are observed in equipment used for storage, transportation, and production of oil and its derivatives. These problems are generated by various mechanisms such as stress from mechanical loads or compounds found in their composition. These occurrences can lead to accidents involving human lives, environmental disasters, and economic losses. As a means of mitigating this problem, the electrodeposition of metallic coatings has proven to be an economical option for covering metal structures, especially when it comes to tungsten-based coatings combined with iron group ions (Ni, Fe, Co).The literature reports few studies on electrodeposition from the perspective of numerical analysis and computer simulation, which would provide a better understanding of the effectiveness and properties of these materials. Therefore, this work aimed to study the numerical and experimental analysis of the steady-state behavior of electrodeposition while conducting experiments on the deposition of the Co-W alloy. The goal was to evaluate the phenomenon of diffusion and forced convection. In this context, results of deposition rates were obtained with magnitudes similar to experimental rates, proving that the analysis is compatible with reality. Another interesting point was the use of both techniques and how the influences of concentration and rotation acted together, showing synergy between the results. In the experimental part, the best coating, with the highest efficiency, was obtained at 30 rpm, 0.15 mol/L sodium tungstate, and pH 6. The simulation identified, just like the experimental results, that a concentration of 0.15 mol/L is ideal, emphasizing that concentration is the most influential factor in the process.