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Title: Study of corrosion in multimetallic systems. Task 2 of solar collector studies for solar heating and cooling applications. Final technical progress report

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5286292· OSTI ID:5286292

Corrosion measurements were made on candidate alloys of construction for non-concentrating solar collectors under simulated conditions of collector operation. Materials evaluated were aluminum alloys 1100, 3003, and 6061, copper alloy 122, Type 444 stainless steel, and 1018 plain carbon steel. The solutions used were equivolume mixtures of ethylene glycol and water, and propylene glycol and water. They were used without corrosion inhibitors but with addition of chloride, sulfate, and bicarbonate ions. The influences of dissolved oxygen, solution flow velocity, and heat transfer were evaluated. Corrosion morphologies investigated were general attack, pitting, crevice corrosion, and galvanic corrosion. Experimental results indicated that aluminum alloys can experience severe pitting and crevice corrosion at chloride concentrations approaching 50 ppM. The corrosion rate of copper exceeded about 100 ..mu..m/yr in ethylene glycol solutions and about 80 ..mu..m/yr in propylene glycol solutions. Crevice corrosion was not observed for copper, but severe galvanic corrosion occurred when it was coupled to T444 stainless steel. T444 steel corroded at rates of less than 1 ..mu..m/yr under all exposure conditions. During circulation at 100 C in the presence of air, ethylene glycol solutions acidified because of degradation of the glycol. The initial pH of propylene glycol solutions was already low, about 4.5. The inherent corrosivity of propylene glycol was somewhat less than that of ethylene glycol, although this difference was usually less than a factor of two in measured corrosion rates. It was concluded that he corrosion rates of aluminum alloys and copper were prohibitively high in uninhibited glycol solutions, and that corrosion inhibitors are definitely necessary in operating systems.

Research Organization:
Battelle Columbus Labs., OH (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
AC04-79CS10510
OSTI ID:
5286292
Report Number(s):
DOE/CS/10510-T9
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English