Evaluation of hydrogen-Induced cracking resistance of the In625 laser coating system on a C-Mn steel substrate

Abstract The corrosion of C-Mn steels in the presence of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) represents a significant challenge to oil production and natural gas treatment facilities. The failure mechanism induced by hydrogen-induced cracking (HIC) in a Inconel 625 coating / C-Mn steel has not been extensively investigated in the past. In the present work, an API 5CT steel was coated with In625 alloy using laser cladding and the HIC resistance of different regions, such as the coating surface, the substrate and HAZ, were evaluated. SEM observations illustrated that all HIC cracks were formed at the hard HAZ after 96h of exposure. No HIC cracks were observed in the substrate and the In625 coating after the same exposure duration. Pitting was recorded in the substrate caused by non-metallic inclusion dissolving.