Water corrosion and

The water supply authorities normally insist that (for uses other than drinking-water taps) their main should discharge into a break-pressure vessel, after which the water quality becomes the consumers responsibility. The water tank should be covered against tramp dirt and access by birds, etc., and it must be shielded from sunlight to avoid the growth of algae. Nevertheless, access must be maintained for easy inspection. The distribution pipework is preferably all plastic and lead must be avoided altogether. The use of copper is doubtful with some corrosive waters, and soldered joints in it can lead to unacceptable concentrations of lead in the water. 

Lead levels ranging between 10 and 30 pg/L can be found in drinking water from households, schools, and office buildings as a result of plumbing corrosion and subsequent leaching of lead. The combination of corrosive water and lead pipes or lead-soldered joints in either the distribution system or individual houses can create localized zones of high lead concentrations that exceed 500 pg/L (EPA 1989f). 

Nickel alloys plus nickel are widely used for services, including acids, caustics, corrosive waters, and for numerous corrosive process applications and low- and high-temperature applications. For further information contact ... 

Horizontal piping systems used to collect and transport well fluids introduce problems of phase separation resulting in stratified corrosive water and gas phases that complicate inhibition control and monitoring. In addition, there is the possibility of oxygen and bacterial (SRB) contamination that can accelerate corrosion. Control of internal corrosion of steel surface piping generally involves inhibition or plastic lining. 

Second, as demonstrated by the results interacting lead pipes with water hardness and new water mains, much of the impact observed in Massachusetts was driven by a handful of cities on the upper end of the distribution Cities with very soft and corrosive water and/or cities with a high proportion of newly installed water mains had unusually high infant mortality rates. Perhaps the sample of cities from England included no cities with similarly corrosive water supplies and new lead piping. 

A first operation on the crude, desalting (washing by water and caustic), extracts salts (NaCl, KCl and the MgCb that is cdn eft4rdJt6 NaCl by the caustic), reduces acid corrosion as well as it minimizes fouling and deposits. /... 

When a customer agrees to purchase gas, product quality is specified in terms of the calorific value of the gas, measured by the Wobbe index (calorific value divided by density), the hydrocarbon dew point and the water dew point, and the fraction of other gases such as Nj, COj, HjS. The Wobbe index specification ensures that the gas the customer receives has a predictable calorific value and hence predictable burning characteristics. If the gas becomes lean, less energy is released, and if the gas becomes too rich there is a risk that the gas burners flame out . Water and hydrocarbon dew points (the pressure and temperature at which liquids start to drop out of the gas) are specified to ensure that over the range of temperature and pressure at which the gas is handled by the customer, no liquids will drop out (these could cause possible corrosion and/or hydrate formation). 

HjS is undesirable because of its toxicity and corrosive properties. COj can cause corrosion in the presence of water, and N2 simply reduces the calorific value of the gas as it is inert. 

Knockout vessels are the most common form of basic separator. The vessel contains no internals and demisting efficiency is poor. However, they perform well in dirty service conditions (i.e. where sand, water and corrosive products are carried in the well stream). 

Produced water has to be separated from oil for two main reasons, firstly because the customer is buying oil not water, and secondly to minimise costs associated with evacuation (e.g., volume pumped, corrosion protection for pipelines). A water content of less than 0.5% is a typical specification for sales crude. 

If produced gas contains water vapour it may have to be dried (dehydrated). Water condensation in the process facilities can lead to hydrate formation and may cause corrosion (pipelines are particularly vulnerable) in the presence of carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide. Hydrates are formed by physical bonding between water and the lighter components in natural gas. They can plug pipes and process equipment. Charts such as the one below are available to predict when hydrate formation may become a problem. 

Reactor-grade zirconium is essentially free of hafnium. Zircaloy(R) is an important alloy developed specifically for nuclear applications. Zirconium is exceptionally resistant to corrosion by many common acids and alkalis, by sea water, and by other agents. Alloyed with zinc, zirconium becomes magnetic at temperatures below 35oK. 

Titanium has potential use in desalination plants for converting sea water into fresh water. The metal has excellent resistance to sea water and is used for propeller shafts, rigging, and other parts of ships exposed to salt water. A titanium anode coated with platinum has been used to provide cathodic protection from corrosion by salt water. 

A recently developed drying appHcation for zeoHtes is the prevention of corrosion in mufflers (52,55). Internal corrosion in mufflers is caused primarily by the condensation of water and acid as the system cools. A unique UOP zeoHte adsorption system takes advantage of the natural thermal cycling of an automotive exhaust system to desorb the water and acid precursors. 

Water—Glycol Solutions. These materials are transparent solutions of water and glycol having good low temperature properties. They frequently contain water-soluble additives to improve performance in corrosion resistance, anti-wear, etc. A water-soluble polymer is commonly utilized to boost viscosity. As solutions their advantage over emulsions is their inherent stabdity. 

Corrosion occurs when the metallic iron in DRI is wetted with fresh or salt water and reacts with oxygen from air to form mst, Ee(OH)2- The corrosion reactions continue as long as water is present. Because water evaporates at approximately 100°C, corrosion reactions have a low temperature limit even though the reactions are exothermic. Small amounts of hydrogen may be generated when DRI reacts with water. However, this poses no safety problem as long as proper ventilation is provided. 

In comparison, HBI is almost twice as dense as DRI, and thus does not absorb as much water and is much more resistant to reoxidation and corrosion. Several methods of passivating DRI to make it more resistant to reoxidation and corrosion have been developed, but none has been as effective as hot briquetting. Guidelines for offshore shipping of peUet/lump DRI and HBI have been prepared by the International Maritime Organization. 

Lead is one of the most stable of fabricated materials because of excellent corrosion resistance to air, water, and soil. An initial reaction with these elements results in the formation of protective coatings of insoluble lead compounds. For example, in the presence of oxygen, water attacks lead, but if the water contains carbonates and siUcates, protective films or tarnishes form and the corrosion becomes exceedingly slow. 

Although most greases offer some inherent protection against msting, additives, eg, amine salts, sodium sulfonate, cycloparaffin (naphthenate) salts, esters, and nonionic surfactants (qv), are often used to provide added protection against water and salt-spray corrosion. A dispersion of sodium nitrite has been particularly effective in some multipurpose greases. 

Nickel—Copper. In the soHd state, nickel and copper form a continuous soHd solution. The nickel-rich, nickel—copper alloys are characterized by a good compromise of strength and ductihty and are resistant to corrosion and stress corrosion ia many environments, ia particular water and seawater, nonoxidizing acids, neutral and alkaline salts, and alkaUes. These alloys are weldable and are characterized by elevated and high temperature mechanical properties for certain appHcations. The copper content ia these alloys also easure improved thermal coaductivity for heat exchange. MONEL alloy 400 is a typical nickel-rich, nickel—copper alloy ia which the nickel content is ca 66 wt %. MONEL alloy K-500 is essentially alloy 400 with small additions of aluminum and titanium. Aging of alloy K-500 results in very fine y -precipitates and increased strength (see also Copper alloys). 

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