Corrosion in Tap Water and Hot Water Supply Facilities of Stainless Steel Type 304 Pipes

Abstract

We performed corrosion case study and corrosion tests to assess the corrosion resistance of stainless steel type 304 pipes in tap water and hot water facilities. Circulating test equipment used for corrosion tests and two types of sample, plates and straight pipe specimens, were examined under different conditions of residual chlorine concentration in the test water. The results of case study analysis indicated that high degrees of pitting corrosion occurred on straight pipes with inner diameter < 50 mm. The results of corrosion tests showed that the residual chlorine concentration around the pitting corrosion of stainless steel type 304 was greater than 0.3 mg/L in the plate, regardless of the remaining chlorine concentration in the straight pipe specimens. These results suggest that straight pipes have higher corrosion susceptibility because of bending during production.