A laboratory examination indicated near neutral pH ammoniated citric acid was effective in dissolving magnetite and copper deposits. The rate of magnetite dissolution of near neutral pH citric acid was determined to be essentially equivalent to that of tetra-ammonium EDTA. The ability of ammoniated citric acid to sequester dissolved metals (Fe & Cu) was somewhat surprising. Even when the citric acid solvents were completely spent they exhibited no tendency to precipitate.

The corrosion rate of inhibited citric acid was determined to be acceptable for all alloys tested. It appears that citric acid concentrations of up to 8% by weight should yield acceptable corrosion rates on most common alloys.

Data obtained from actual cleaning of two utility boilers indicate the process to be effective in dissolving magnetite and copper while providing uniform passivation of ferrous surfaces.

Subject
Acids, Acid concentration, Corrosion rate, Dissolution, Solvents, Dissolved iron, Acidity, Solutions, Boilers, Magnetite, Copper, Deposit corrosion, Cleaning
© 1986 Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP). All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of AMPP. Positions and opinions advanced in this work are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AMPP. Responsibility for the content of the work lies solely with the author(s).
1986
Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)
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