Abstract
This paper presents laboratory and modelling studies of antioxidant butylated hydroxytoluene leaching from a water supply PE-HD pipe for laminar and turbulent flow. The reaction of BHT oxidation to BHT-OH was included in our calculations. Required input data, initial and boundary conditions were based on laboratory measurements performed for a new PE-HD pipe. Laboratory measurements covered tests of BHT content and homogeneity in pipe material as well as measurements of BHT concentration in water flowing inside the pipe loop with different velocities. The BHT content of the PE-HD pipe and its concentration in water were determined by GC-MS method. Modelling calculations of BHT concentration in water for two different types of flow were performed using the commercial CDF software Fluent (Ansys Inc.). Non-homogeneous BHT distribution in pipe material and leaching of the antioxidant to the water were observed during laboratory tests. Numerical prediction of BHT concentration in water showed acceptable agreement between measured and calculated data. Nonetheless, the universality of the developed model is limited by the great diversity of available plastic pipe materials with various contents and technological amendments.
Highlights
The quality of drinking water received by customers results from the initial qualitative characteristics of water and physical, chemical and biological processes occurring during water flow through the water network pipelines
The measured values of butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) content in the subsequent layers of cross-section of tested pipe material showed the non-uniform distribution of BHT, which suggests the lack of homogeneity of the tested antioxidant in the polymer matrix
Laboratory measurements of BHT concentration during the studies of BHT migration to water performed for the dynamic flow conditions, with two applied velocities of flow, showed significant increase of BHT concentration in water, resulting from migration of the tested antioxidant to water during approx. six days of experiment
Summary
The quality of drinking water received by customers results from the initial qualitative characteristics of water and physical, chemical and biological processes occurring during water flow through the water network pipelines. These processes, related to pipe materials, may influence the deterioration of water quality in water supply networks and inhouse installations [1]. The presence of BHT in water during its flow through the plastic pipeline was reported by Widomski et al [6, 7] as well as by Musz-Pomorska and Kowalska [8]
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