CORROSION OF COPPER-NICKEL-ALLOYS 706 AND 715 IN FLOWING SEA-WATER .1. EFFECT OF OXYGEN

Copper-nickel alloys are used widely for seawater piping, heat exhangers, and other marine components. In particular, Alloy 706 (90:10 Cu:Ni) and Alloy 715 (70:30 Cu:Ni) give excellent performance under most normal operating conditions, although accelerated corrosion may occur in seawater polluted with sulfide. The effect of a number of environmental and flow variables on the corrosion of copper-nickel alloys is seawater is being studied in order to better understand corrosion related service failures, such as those caused by erosion-corrosion or sulfide pollution. This article describes a study of the corrosion and electrochemical behavior of Alloy 706 and Alloy 715 in flowing unpolluted seawater as a function of the dissolved oxygen concentration.