Corrosion of Cu and Cu-base alloys under conditions of boiling heat transfer—II. Corrosion of Cu-base alloys

Abstract

Cu-base alloys are shown to be susceptible to severe corrosion under boiling heat transfer conditions. The mechanism is shown to be similar to that for pure Cu, local action corrosion being predominant when aerated chloride solutions flow over a heated area as boiling occurs. Alloying elements such as nickel which increase polarization of the cathode reduction reaction reduce the local action corrosion, but specialized alloys such as aluminium brass are severely attacked if chloride breakdown of the passive film can occur.