title: Corrosion control when using passively treated abandoned mine drainage as alternative makeup water for cooling systems.
abstract: Passively treated abandoned mine drainage (AMD) is a promising alternative to fresh water as power plant cooling water system makeup water in mining regions where such water is abundant. Passive treatment and reuse of AMD can avoid the contamination of surface water caused by discharge of abandoned mine water, which typically is acidic and contains high concentrations of metals, especially iron. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of reusing passively treated AMD in cooling systems with respect to corrosion control through laboratory experiments and pilot-scale field testing. The results showed that, with the addition of the inhibitor mixture orthophosphate and tolyltriazole, mild steel and copper corrosion rates were reduced to acceptable levels (< 0.127 mm/y and < 0.0076 mm/y, respectively). Aluminum had pitting corrosion problems in every condition tested, while cupronickel showed that, even in the absence of any inhibitor and in the presence of the biocide monochloramine, its corrosion rate was still very low (0.018 mm/y).
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: Ming-Kai
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Hsieh
authors.forename: Shih-Hsiang
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Chien
authors.forename: Heng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jason D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Monnell
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Dzombak
authors.forename: Radisav D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Vidic
mesh_terms: D003343:Corrosion; D007220:Industrial Waste; D008906:Mining; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011210:Power Plants; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D007220:Industrial Waste; D014867:Water