The impact of corrosion inhibitors on the effectiveness of metallic materials corrosion protection

The study deals with the impact of corrosion inhibitors on the effectiveness of corrosion protection of metallic materials in cooling water. Specimens in a form of corrosion coupons were placed in an open recirculating cooling system for a period of 1 month. After the exposure, the surface of specimens was documented with and after the removal of corrosion products. The corrosion rate in the cooling water environment with and without inhibitor was determined by measurement of the weight loss of metallic materials and by calculation. These outputs helped identify the most suitable inhibitor for corrosion protection of tested metallic materials. At the same time, it is inevitable to know the quality of additional and cooling water, since the inhibitor’s effectiveness is higher in an appropriate chemical composition. The effectiveness of applied inhibitors was manifested differently, depending on the type of material: the quality of zinc salt and phosphate based inhibitors with an addition of tolytriazol was sufficient, which showed on copper and brass specimens. On the other hand, the inhibitor based on polymers and phosphates were least suitable for carbon steel. The effectiveness of inhibitors was analysed in comparison with untreated water.