Microbial corrosion resistance of a novel Cu-bearing pipeline steel

Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) is becoming a serious problem for buried pipelines. Developing environmentally friendly strategies for MIC control is increasingly urgent in oil/gas pipeline industry. Copper (Cu) in steels can not only provide aging precipitation strengthening, but also kill bacterium, offering a special biofunction to steels. Based on the chemical composition of traditional X80 pipeline steel, two Cu-bearing pipeline steels (1% Cu and 2% Cu) were fabricated in this study. The microstructure, mechanical properties and antibacterial property against sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) were studied. It was found that the novel pipeline steel alloyed by 1%Cu exhibited acicular ferrite microstructure with nano-sized Cu-rich precipitates distribution in the matrix, resulting in better mechanical properties than the traditional X80 steel, and showed good MIC resistance as well. The pitting corrosion resistance of 1% Cu steel in as-aged condition was significantly better than that of X80 steel. A possible antibacterial mechanism of the Cu-bearing pipeline steel was proposed.