Critical Pitting Temperature - Setup Parameters

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Critical Pitting Temperature - Setup Parameters

Description

 

2 - Critical Pitting Temperature

 

Parameter

Description

Units

Pstat

Select the potentiostat/galvanostat to perform the experiment. Each radio button corresponds to an installed potentiostat. You can select only one potentiostat at a time. Potentiostats that are already in use are marked with an asterisk. They can be selected but cannot be used.

 

Temp. Controller

Select the temperature controller for the experiment. Most Critical Pitting Temperature (CPT) systems have only one temperature controller, so this parameter may not be required. However, you may install support for more than one type of controller.

 

Test Identifier

A string that is used as a name. It is written to the data file, so it can be used to identify the data in database or data manipulation programs. The Identifier string defaults to a name derived from the technique's name. While this makes an acceptable curve label, it does not generate a unique descriptive label for a data set. The Identifier string is limited to 80 characters. It can include almost any normally printable character. Numbers, upper- and lower-case letters, and the most common punctuation characters including spaces are valid.

 

Output File

The name of the file in which the output data are written. By default, it is saved in the default file directory.

 

The input can be a simple file name with no path information. In this case the output file is located in the default file directory. The default file directory is specified in the Gamry.INI file under the [Framework] section with a Key named DataDir. The default path can be changed using the Path command in the Options menu. It can also include path information, such as C:\MY GAMRY DATA\YOURDATA.DTA. In this example, the data are written to the YOURDATA.DTA file in the MY GAMRY DATA directory on drive C. The default value of the Output File parameter is an abbreviation of the technique name with a *.DTA filename extension. We recommend that you use a *.DTA file name extension for your data file names. The data analysis package assumes that all data files have *.DTA extensions.

 

If the script is unable to open the file, an error message box, Unable to Open File, is generated. Common causes for this type of problem include:

•Invalid file name.

•The file is already open under a different Windows® application.

•The disk is full.

 

After you click the OK button in the error box, the script returns to the Setup where you can re-enter the file name.

 

Notes...

Enter several lines of text that describe the experiment. A typical use of Notes is to record the experimental conditions for a data set.

 

Notes defaults to an empty string and is limited to 400 characters. It can include all printable characters including numbers, upper- and lower-case letters, and the most common punctuation including spaces. Tab characters are not allowed in the Notes string. Press the Notes button on the right-hand side to open a separate Notes dialog box.

 

Applied E

The voltage applied to the working electrode during the measurement. Enter the voltage either versus the reference electrode potential (vs. Eref) or open-circuit potential (vs. Eoc). The allowed range is ±8 V with a resolution of 0.125 mV.

volts (V)

Start Temp.

The temperature at which the experiment begins the increasing temperature sweep. The default range is 0°C to 200°C in 0.1° increments.

degree Celsius (°C)

Final Temp.

The temperature at which the experiment ends. If the current has not exceeded the limit at this or any previous temperature, the experiment ends. The default range is 0°C to 200°C in 0.1° increments.

degree Celsius (°C)

Temp. Step

The increment by which the temperature increases after completing each scan. The minimum step value is 0.1°C.

 

Gamry tip bulb

Not all controllers may support this resolution.

degree Celsius (°C)

Run Duration

Specify the maximum duration of data acquisition at each temperature. If the current has not exceeded Limit I by this time, the system terminates data acquisition at this temperature and cycles to the next temperature.

seconds (s)

Sample Period

The spacing between data points. The minimum Sample Period is 0.2 s but we recommend sampling between 0.5 and 1 s.

 

The Sample Period, along with the Run Duration, determines the number of data points in a curve. There must be fewer than 32000 data points in the curve. You can calculate the Number of Points from:

 

 

The current-versus-time curves from all temperatures are stored in one data file. With ten or more curves recorded in a single experiment, the data file can become very large. You can keep the data-file size manageable by recording fewer curves, or making the curves contain fewer data points.

seconds (s)

Limit I

The current density at which you are satisfied that the specimen is pitting. If at any point during a scan the current density exceeds this limit, the experiment stops.

mA/cm2

Sample Area

The surface area of the sample that is exposed to the solution. The software uses the sample area to calculate the current density and corrosion rate (if applicable). If you do not want to enter an area, we recommend that you leave it at the default value of 1.00 cm².

 

Gamry tip bulb

Do not enter a value of zero!

cm2

Conditioning

You may condition the electrode as the first step of the experiment, e.g., to remove an oxide film from the electrode or to grow one. Conditioning ensures that the metal sample has a known surface state at the start of the experiment. This step is done potentiostatically for a set amount of time.

 

Turn the conditioning phase On or Off with the Conditioning switch check box. Conditioning E is the potential applied during the conditioning phase of the experimental sequence. The conditioning potential has an allowed range of ±8 V. The resolution is 0.25 mV. If you have iR-compensation enabled for the data acquisition phase of your experiment, it is also turned on during conditioning. Conditioning E is always specified vs. Eref, because the open-circuit potential is not measured until after Conditioning is completed.

 

The Conditioning Time is the length of time that the sample is potentiostatted at Conditioning E. The minimum time is 1 s and the maximum time is 400000 s (more than 4 days). Below 1000 seconds, the time resolution is 1 s. Between 1000 and 10000 seconds, the resolution is 10 s, and 100 s above 10000 seconds.

seconds (s), volts (V)

Initial Delay

Use the Initial Delay parameter to tell the system your definition of a stable potential and when to begin the actual measurement. If the absolute value of the Eoc drift-rate falls below the Stability parameter, the Initial Delay phase ends immediately and the experiment begins, disregarding the Time parameter. The drift rate can never fall below zero, so entering a Stability value of zero ensures that the Initial Delay will not end prematurely. A typical value is 0.05 mV/s. The lower limit of the Stability parameter is set by your patience. For example, a stability of 0.01 mV/s indicates a drift of less than 1 mV within 100 seconds.

 

IR Comp

Choose to turn iR-compensation either On or Off. Turning on IR Comp causes the applied potential to be adjusted for the estimated iR-drop.

 

Gamry potentiostats are able to estimate uncompensated voltage-drop caused by cell resistance. They do so by performing a current-interrupt experiment after every data point.