Effect on Corrosion Characteristics of SS 400 Steel by Alkali Water pH from Electrolysis of City Water

Many rivers and seas have been affected by environmental contamination. Therefore, city water supplies often require a high-degree purification treatment to provide safe drinking water. However, in order to achieve a high-degree purification treatment, a large amount of chlorine has to be added to sterilize city drinking water. The added chlorine reacts chemically with water and forms hypochlorous and chlorine ions. The hypochlorous ionizes with hypochlorous ions and hydrogen ions. As a result, the city water contains a large amount of chlorine ion. As such, when city water is used with domestic boilers, many kinds of heat exchangers, and the engines of vehicle and ships, there are often corrosion problems. In this study, alkali water was electrochemically made by electrolysis of city water, and corrosion properties between alkali and city water were investigated with an electrochemical method. Most of the chlorine ions are thought to not be contained in the alkali water because the alkali water is created in the cathodic chamber with an electrolysis process. In other words, the chlorine ion can be mostly removed by its migration from a cathodic chamber to an anodic chamber. Moreover, the alkali water also contains a large amount of hydroxide ion. The alkali water indicated relatively good corrosion resistance compared to the city water and the city water exhibited a local corrosion pattern due to the chlorine ion created by a high-degree purification treatment. In contrast, the alkali water showed a general corrosion pattern. Consequently, alkali water can be used with cooling water to inhibit local corrosion by chlorine ions in domestic boilers, various heat exchangers and the engine of ships and for structural steel in a marine structure.

수돗물의 전기분해에 의해서 생성된 알카리수의 pH가 SS 400강의 부식특성에 미치는 영향