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"White Rust" (The Water Treaters'Achilles Heel)


White rust began appearing on galvanized cooling towers during the 1980s. White rust is generally referred to as "white rust," storage stain, zinc carbonate, corrosion or scale. The term used to describe the deposit depends on the individual identifying the material. Those who have an interest with white rust in our industry are steel galvanizers, tower manufacturers, reps/distributors, specifying engineers, owners/plant engineers, and water treaters. Note the order of listing and where the water treater sits. But when the white rust appears the list is reversed, and the water treater moves to the top of the list. The problem becomes the water treater's and all parties look to them for answers. Based on our research of available data, field testing, and lab work, some of the factors contributing to white rust on galvanized towers are: the elimination of chrome rinse by the galvanizers during the mid'80s due to environmental regulations, insufficient drying or curing time for new galvanize initial operating conditions of towers, high alkalinities, and pH. Knowing some of the factors that contribute to the problem, what can we as water treaters do to solve the problem? Towers are available with two types of coatings - sacrificial and barrier. Galvanize is considered a sacrificial coating. Two of the major manufacturers of steel towers offer, as an option, barrier-type coatings. The barrier coating is applied over the galvanize. While some problems may be encountered with the barrier coatings, they are minor considering the problems being experienced with plain galvanized towers. Thus, the barriertype coatings are recommended. Maintaining alkalinities and pH control will prevent and/or arrest the formation of white rust. If the deposit has already formed, the addition of pH control will, in most cases, remove the deposit. While pH control is a solution, future environmental and handling restrictions will continue to reduce the use of acids. In addition, with the continued progress being made with

http://www.awt.org/members/publications/analyst/1991/Spring/Spring1991.htm

21/09/2007

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polymers, the water treatment industry continues to move to the alkalinetype programs. The producers of corrosion inhibitors have not published any corrosion rates for their products on zinc/galvanize. The rates are not favorable to their products. Our industry does not have a corrosion inhibitor for galvanize. When we are made aware that one of our towers has developed white rust, what do we do? We become defensive, assume the task of correcting or solving the problem, test and retest. We find ourselves in this position because we do not fully understand the problem, and we let other parties control the situation. What should our future actions be? We must prepare ourselves and our companies so that we are more knowledgeable than the other players; establish a plan on how to handle the problem; keep our people updated on the subject; communicate our position to the tower representatives; share information with other water treaters, and most importantly, take an offensive position. If the majority of us take the position that this problem cannot be corrected by the water treaters, we will begin to get the attention of some of the other players; however, if only a few of us take a stand, then we will be treated as isolated cases. This will result in very little impact, and we will continue to deal with each white rust problem as it develops with no easy solution.

http://www.awt.org/members/publications/analyst/1991/Spring/Spring1991.htm

21/09/2007

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