The University of Chicago

Baltimore Aircoil Company, Inc.

Daniel H Pope

YuPo J Lin

Edward J St Martin

Dennis R Honchar

James R Frank

Wilbur L Medairy

An electrode design is provided for corrosion monitoring using electrochemical noise measurements. Electrochemical probes are used for sensing electrochemical noise voltage values and electrochemical noise current values. The electrochemical probes include a pair of working electrodes formed of the same material of the monitored metal pipes or storage vessels and a reference electrode formed of a corrosion resistant material. Each of the pair of working electrodes has a defined surface roughness. One of the pair of working electrodes has reduced roughness, whereby sensitivity to sustained localized pitting corrosion is increased in the working electrode with reduced roughness. By reducing the surface roughness of one of the pair of working electrodes, increased sensitivity to sustained localized pitting corrosion is provided while the current noise can be used to accurately measure the general corrosion rate on the unpolished electrode.

Electrode design for corrosion monitoring using electrochemical noise measurements

A method and apparatus are provided for monitoring localized pitting corrosion in metal pipes or storage vessels. Electrochemical probes are used for sensing electrochemical noise voltage values and electrochemical noise current values. The root-mean-square electrochemical noise current and voltage values are calculated and stored for the sensed electrochemical noise voltage values and the electrochemical noise current values. The stored electrochemical noise current and voltage values are processed by transforming the stored electrochemical noise current and voltage values into power spectral density data utilizing a fast Fourier transform. A slope of the power spectral density data relative to frequency is calculated. The electrochemical probes include a pair of working electrodes formed of the same material of the monitored metal pipes or storage vessels and a reference electrode formed of a corrosion resistant material. A linear slope of a low-frequency portion of the power spectral density data is calculated by using a least-square method.

In-situ process for the monitoring of localized pitting corrosion

The present invention comprises an improved method and apparatus for treating water in heat exchange systems. The present invention automatically and inexpensively provides an effective chemical to process water systems at times and in proportion to the need for water treatment in such systems. When used in evaporative cooling systems, the present invention adds the treatment chemical to the system via the make-up water. The make-up water acquires a substantially constant concentration of treatment chemical as it is passed through a device containing a treatment chemical. The constant concentration of chemical is achieved by dividing the make-up flow into two streams within the device, saturating the smaller of the two streams with chemical, and re-mixing the two streams. The biocide agent used in the preferred embodiment of the invention is prilled elemental iodine.

Water treatment system

Water treatment process

Growing community of inventors

Georgetown, TX, United States of America

Daniel H Pope