Sulfidation

This chapter presents a brief theoretical consideration of the sulfidation behavior of metals and alloys, and discusses the basic phenomena involved in the processes. It provides an overall picture of the sulfidation process concerning the kinetics of sulfidation of metals, the sulfidation behavior of alloys, and the defect structure of metal sulphides. Two types of reaction kinetics, such as linear and parabolic, have been observed during the sulfidation of metals under isothermal exposure conditions that lead to a formation of sulfide scales. The chapter emphasizes that the physicochemical properties of the sulfide scale formed on a metal entirely govern the sulfidation process. When comparing the available data relating to the defect structures of metal sulfides, on the one hand, and of metal oxides, on the other, it becomes apparent that more fundamental studies have been attempted with oxides than with sulfides. A brief attention is given to the experimental methods used to provide these data.