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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Environmentally sound corrosion inhibitors for cooling water

Conference ·
OSTI ID:696997

Standard corrosion inhibitors for cooling water are based either on heavy metals, phosphates or phosphonates and therefore contribute to the contamination of surface water with noxious substances. Evaluations in pilot plants suggest that phosphorous-free organic carboxylic acids might be promising alternatives to the well-established phosphoric acids. The carboxylic compounds are biodegradable and therefore environmentally favorable. Moreover, in order to accelerate the evaluation of new inhibitors, an electrochemical test has been implemented which operates under conditions close to industrial practice. Results show that a combination of the electrochemical method with various corrosion tests from the laboratory up to pilot-plant scale yields a comprehensive characterization of the corrosion inhibiting properties. Consequently, the development of tailored inhibitor systems focused on specific applications is accelerated.

OSTI ID:
696997
Report Number(s):
CONF-990401--
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English