Cooling Water Chemistry: Friend or Foe

With today’s growing restrictions in sources and chemical treatment, cooling water that has low corrosive potential is difficult to find. Today’s sources are more aggressive (corrosive) creating a greater challenge to the survival of tubing materials. Pitting and crevice corrosion have become much more common. This paper identifies and summarizes those changes, concerns, and provides suggestions on how a utility can prevent long-term problems. It will cover the water factors to consider and monitor, proper lay-up practices, and material selections based on cooling water chemistry and practices.