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A SIMPLE APPROACH TO ASSESSING COPPER PITTING CORROSION TENDENCIES AND DEVELOPING CONTROL STRATEGIES
Citation:
WILLIAMS, D., D. A. LYTLE, AND C. White. A SIMPLE APPROACH TO ASSESSING COPPER PITTING CORROSION TENDENCIES AND DEVELOPING CONTROL STRATEGIES. In Proceedings, 2008 AWWA WAter Quality Technology Conference, Cincinnati, OH, November 16 - 20, 2008. American Water Works Association, Denver, CO, ., (2008).
Impact/Purpose:
To share information
Description:
Localized corrosion of copper plumbing in drinking water distribution systems can lead to pinhole leaks, which are a growing problem for many homeowners. Although water quality is one factor that can be responsible for localized copper corrosion, there is not a good approach to predicting the tendency of water to support localized corrosion and assessing water treatment options to address a problem. The objective of this research was to assess the effectiveness of a simple pipe loop system and protocol to predict localized corrosion, and to assess treatment alternatives in a drinking water that has been associated with customer complaints of pinhole leaks. Regular examination of the internal surface of copper pipes positioned in the loop revealed signs of localized corrosion (isolated mounds of corrosion by-products) after only 72 days. Close examination of pipe sections removed from the loops after 100 days clearly showed that localized corrosion was taking place. Cross-section analysis of the pipe showed pits as deep as 0.75mm that were covered by a thin membrane and mound of blue-green corrosion products. The study showed that simple, inexpensive copper pipe loops can be useful in predicting pitting tendencies of copper piping used for drinking water, as well as to assess the effectiveness of treatment alternatives.
URLs/Downloads:
A SIMPLE APPROACH TO ASSESSING COPPER PITTING CORROSION TENDENCIES AND DEVELOPING CONTROL STRATEGIES (PDF, NA pp, 367 KB, about PDF)AWWA
