Water Demonstration Project
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THE MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO NICKEL AND ITS APPLICATIONS |
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Nickel Magazine, July 2005 -- SPLASH Inc., an organization which promotes the use of austenitic stainless steel for use in potable water distribution systems, intends to bury stainless steel pipe at a municipal water project in Green Bay, Wisconsin, U.S.A.
SPLASH is an acronym for Stop Pipe Leaks, Ask for Stainless Help.
"Green Bay was one of the early adapters of ozone water treatment technology in the U.S. and is therefore interested in being one of the first municipalities to evaluate buried stainless steel pipe and mechanical fittings," says Steve Lamb, chairman of SPLASH.
About 330 metres of S31600 pipe, 20 millimetres in diameter, and 150 metres of Duplex stainless steel pipe (grade yet to be determined) are being considered for the demonstration project.
Among the questions facing SPLASH is how to monitor the extremely low rate of corrosion of the buried stainless steel pipes. One expensive method is to dig the pipe out of the ground every few years for a visual inspection. Another method entails monitoring the pipe remotely by means of a multi-electrode array sensor (MAS). This electrochemical technique is sensitive enough to measure the smallest amount of corrosion, according to Dr. Narasi Sridhar, program director for the Southwest Research Institute.
MAS has been used to monitor corrosion of nickel alloys in cooling water treatment applications where corrosion rates are as low as 0.01 micron per year.
In the case of buried pipe, MAS would employ sensors to measure corrosion in coupons of similar material buried next to the pipe and which would be exposed to the same soil and groundwater conditions. "You can probably set a steady-state condition on the coupon after only two years," Sridhar says.
SPLASH is considering other demonstration projects in co-operation with the city of Denver and the University of North Carolina. The objective is to demonstrate the corrosion-resistant properties of stainless steels so that users can specify these materials with confidence.
SPLASH is a non-profit alliance of 14 suppliers, fabricators, equipment manufacturers and metals associations, including the Nickel Institute. It was formed in 2004 to promote the advantages of stainless steel in the water distribution industry. New members are welcome.
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