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Extending Service Life

Pipe corrosion is a major problem for building and industrial properties, and totals billions of dollars in losses for the United States alone.  Our new corrosion monitor CorrView ®, as well as our ultrasonic testing services and the majority of this website, is focused toward the monitoring and remediation of corrosion related problems.

As the content of our website clearly illustrates, corrosion is a significant threat to any building operation, and can produce problems ranging from mild annoyance and small repairs, to major failures and millions of dollars in damage and replacement costs.  Such corrosion problems seem to be on the increase for virtually all piping systems.

• Proper Planning Necessary

Most corrosion problems begin before the water ever enters the pipe, and advanced planning is a key element to a long running and properly operating piping system.  Appropriate filtration to an open or closed cooling system is today a necessity, rather than an option.  A well planned and executed chemical treatment program including fully automatic feeding equipment is likewise mandatory.  Reviewing the piping layout for areas where particulates and debris are likely to collect, and addressing those concerns, is also necessary in order to avoid future operating problems.

The start-up of the piping system is likely the most important single factor in determining whether a piping system provides long future service or short and troublesome operation.  Lack of proper chemical cleanout and a delay in initiating chemical treatment has been linked to almost every pipe corrosion disaster we have seen – with total failure of those systems resulting in as little as a 2-4 years.  Correcting a start-up problem is an almost insurmountable task, and certainly an expensive one.

• Excellent Corrosion Control Does Exist

For as many problems as we have illustrated on this website, far more exist where excellent corrosion control has been achieved.  In those cases, the threat of corrosion is usually a top priority receiving the necessary attention.  Money is spent to ensure that problems are avoided, or at least quickly resolved when identified.  The water treatment program receives careful hands on attention, problems are not ignored, and some level of corrosion monitoring is always employed.

The following short gallery of photographs presents some recent examples where we have identified excellent corrosion control – either by the actions of the building engineering staff, or simply due to the inherent corrosion resistance of the specific pipe in use.  Far more such examples exist, but due to our interest to document problem corrosion areas, simply have not been recorded.

Examples Of Good Corrosion Control

Chill Water Pipe – Under ultrasonic inspection, this 35 year old chill water pipe showed high and uniform remaining wall thickness.  Estimated corrosion rate was under 1/2 MPY. Opening multiple areas of pipe to connect up with new pump and chiller equipment later revealed almost new pipe conditions inside.  A combination of good quality pipe and effective water treatment allowed almost unlimited further service life for this building property.

Condenser Water – While seeming corroded, this open condenser pipe exhibits excellent results after almost 45 years in service.  UT testing showed some mild pitting activity in random areas but with the overall average wall thickness still high and suitable for extended service life. A corrosion rate of approximately 1 MPY was found, leaving an average 0.360 in. of wall thickness remaining for this 12 in. pipe.

Fire Service – This fire standpipe riser shows just faint traces of minor corrosion at some areas, and virtually no wall loss after over 84 years of service beginning in 1928.  Such extraordinary corrosion control is simply due to the higher quality piping materials produced decades ago, combined with a lack of water flow.  This pipe had been filled in 1928 and basically left stagnant.  Ironically, it was removed as part of a building renovation and thin wall schedule 10 installed in its place.

Chill Water Pipe – This chill water pipe was in operation for approximately 30 years, and then left idle for 2 years before being returned to service.  Ultrasonic testing showed it having a 1 MPY or less corrosion rate, and no significant pitting activity.

For most piping systems, long periods of inactivity, and especially where some water remains to produce moist conditions having no chemical protection, combine to produce high wall losses.

We offer on this website a large volume of useful information related to pipe corrosion, its various causes, documentation of its severity, and successful remediation.  Many different recommendations are available to resolve almost any corrosion problem.  An organized grouping of examples of various corrosion types is offered in our Photo Galleries of corrosion types.

We welcome all inquiries about corrosion problems, examples of good corrosion control, or recommendations to this site.  For further information, please contact CorrView International, LLC.

© Copyright 2024 – William P. Duncan, CorrView International, LLC