A Call For Data

by Jay Mullis Chemist Guardian-IPCO, Inc.

     The corrosion of galvanized cooling towers was highlighted during the 1987
International Water Conference in a progress report titled "Galvanized Cooling Towers
- White Rust." Other than this report, there has not been much work published on this
problem. Undoubtedly, many members of the AWT have had firsthand experience with
"white rust" which has not been presented to our industry. Pooling our experiences will
benefit us all by helping solve this difficult problem. With this in mind, Guardian-IPCO,
Inc. will use this article to outline the facts we have discovered in a study we initiated
during June of this year.

     The problem first came to our attention in an HVAC System which had been in
service less than one year. The cooling tower, manufactured with mill galvanized steel,
lost all its protective coating in the hot wells and the basin. The treatment program
provided 2 ppm Zinc as Zn, 4-5 ppm Molybdenum as Mo, 5-6 ppm HEDP, 2 ppm
Tolyltriazole, and 37 ppm Polyinaleic Acid. Maintenance personnel performed daily
tests and kept treatment and solids levels within control limits. An analysis of the
corrosion products from the cooling tower revealed 1-10% calcium carbonate and >
50% Zinc Hydroxycarbonate, with elemental zinc comprising approximately 25% of the
total deposit.

     Subsequent investigation revealed this phenomenon occurring in many newer

cooling towers regardless of the treatment program or the quality of control exercised
over the treatment program. Older hotdipped towers exhibited much less loss of coating,
even if they had suffered virtual abuse during their service life.

     The most obvious variable appears to be the difference in galvanizing. Surface
preparation for hot-dipped galvanizing is crucial, whereas in mill galvanizing it is not.
Also, coating thickness differs, with the hot-dipped steel carrying 3-5 mtls, while the
milled steel only carries 1.9 mils (Specification G-210).

     Various causes for the loss of galvanizing have been offered. These range from
environmental factors (acid rain, hydrocarbon pollutants, etc.) to microwave
transmissions, to the incompatibility of inorganic zinc compounds with organic zinc
coatings. None of the theories have been proven.

     What experiences have the AWT members had with this problem? The AWT Analyst
is an excellent forum for the exchange of information. Send your articles for publication
to the attention of Chris Vranas at the AWT headquarters