Monitoring by an Electrochemical Integrated System the Corrosion and Antifouling Treatment on Aluminum Brass Condenser Tubes

Condenser performance and reliability have a significant impact on the electric generation of a power plant in view of the present energy market. In recent years, the detection of many failure events in condensers drove the achievement of experimental monitoring setup regarding these phenomena. About the formation of protective oxide layers growing on Cu based alloys as Aluminum brass, commonly employed in seawater, the positive role of chlorination treatments and the addition of ferrous ions was addressed. The oxide layer, reinforced with the treatment of ferrous ions, is able to avoid the on-set of localized corrosion phenomena even when seawater becomes of particular aggressiveness, as it happens in presence of high flow with Al brass. Innovative integrated equipment with electrochemical sensors specifically designed for industrial application and suitable to monitor the corrosion and biofilm is described.