Chemical cleaning of heat exchanger components and the efficacy of a novel cationic gemini surfactant in inhibiting corrosion

• The NCGS are considered as mixed-type inhibitors. • The Langmuir isotherm is a valid model for the adsorption process , the thermodynamic characteristics show that CGS is highly adsorbed on CS surfaces. • Negatively charged Δ G °ads and Δ H ° ads produced exothermic and spontaneous adsorption processes. • The results of EIS indicate that the value of Cdl tends to decrease and both Rt and η% tend to increase by increasing the inhibitor concentration. • This result can be attributed to increase of the thickness of the electrical double layer . The feasibility of a novel cationic gemini surfactant (NCGS) in inhibiting hydrochloric acid corrosion of carbon steel (CS) in a 1.0 M solution has been examined. The effectiveness was established by potentiodynamic polarization (PP), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and weight loss (WL). Temperature has an impact on inhibitory effectiveness; once NCGS concentration rises, it goes up, but as the temperature goes down, it goes down. The NCGS molecule was shown to adsorb onto the CS surface, which caused the inhibition. An inhibitor of NCGS’s inhibitory action of mixed type is shown using the potentiodynamic polarization method. Impedance changes showed that the inhibitor’s adsorption led to the creation of a barrier of protection on the NCGS surfaces. When adsorbed onto CS surfaces, NCGS behaves according to the Langmuir isotherm. It was used to calculate and study thermodynamic and kinetic characteristics. Electron microscopy (EDX) and SEM verified the CS’s surface morphology.