Oxygen Concentration Cell

Definition

A corrosion cell created when oxygen concentration differs between two regions of the same metal surface.

Deposits, scale, and settled solids create occluded zones where oxygen availability changes from point to point. The metal under the low-oxygen region becomes anodic and corrodes preferentially relative to the well-aerated region. Suspended solids intensify these differentials, which is part of why they amplify corrosion.

Related concepts

Corrosion · Scale · Suspended Solids

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Part of The Blueprint of Water · ⚡ electrochemistry