Control of copper and copper alloy corrosion is of vital interest to the air separation industry owing to the predominance of these alloys as materials of construction for tube bundles in refrigeration and compression equipment. A case history is unfolded concerning one of our plants located in the Northeastern United States. The operating aspects of the cooling water system, along with the chemical and mechanical factors contributing to severe copper alloy corrosion are discussed. Detailed analyses of two related equipment failures (both involving dezincification) are presented. The adjustment of the various program parameters to mitigate and control the corrosion are explained, in conjunction with the monitoring methods employed and results obtained thus far.

Subject
Water, Metal surfaces, Tubes, Chlorination, Copper alloys, Acidity, Cooling systems, Cycles of concentration, Corrosion inhibitors, Steel, Copper, Zinc, Dezincification
© 1988 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).
1988
Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)
You do not currently have access to this content.