4619Q002 - Cooling Water Treatment and Analysing - External
4619Q002 - Cooling Water Treatment and Analysing - External
4619Q002 - Cooling Water Treatment and Analysing - External
com ,
INSTRUCTIONS
INSTRUCTIONS
Contents
Page
1 Background 2
2 Purpose 2
3 Instructions 3
3.1 Raw water quality 3
3.2 Additive dosing 3
3.3 Analysis and recommended levels 4
4 Worth noticing 5
4.1 Aggressive compounds and conditions 5
4.2 Additive characteristics 6
4.3 Powder form products 7
4.4 Prolonged stops and mechanical design 7
4.5 Alternative cooling water treatment additives and treatment systems 7
4.6 Mixing of different cooling water additives 7
4.7 Warning for Aluminium parts 8
4.8 Use of glycol 9
5 Validated cooling water additives 9
6 Contacts 10
1 Background
Correct cooling water treatment and follow-up of the cooling water condition are of utmost
importance for keeping the cooling water systems of the engines in good condition. The
corrosion processes that could occur due to a poor cooling water quality may under
certain circumstances be local and by their nature proceed very rapidly. This may cause
unexpected operating problems or engine failures even within relatively short periods of
time, for example in the cylinder head exhaust valve seat pockets and other areas prone
to corrosion (see further comments in chapter 4) in the cooling water systems of the
engines.
Most of the cooling water additives which are validated by Wärtsilä are nitrite based
(typically NaNO2) and today, most of the installations in operation are also using nitrite-
based additives. Although there is a trend towards more environmentally friendly
alternatives. These operating instructions and recommendations are mainly intended for
installations using nitrite-based additives but certainly contain useful information also for
users of other types of additives.
2 Purpose
To avoid unnecessary corrosion damages and operating problems in the cooling water
systems of the engines.
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INSTRUCTIONS
3 Instructions
3.1 Raw water quality
The raw water quality for the cooling water circuits of an engine must meet the following
specification:
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NOTE:
If the recommended levels are exceeded, please contact Wärtsilä for further instructions.
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Table 3 gives recommended values for the additional properties that shall be performed
during the more complete cooling water analysis, performed 2 – 4 times / year. Additional
analysis may naturally be considered from case to case, if special issues have occurred.
Table 3, Additional properties that shall be checked 2 – 4 times / year
NOTE:
There are some chemical processes (deposition, corrosion and evaporation) in the
cooling water system that can decrease or increase the concentration of certain elements
(e.g. Ca, Mg, Cl). This can be one of the reasons for higher/lower levels found in the
cooling water system compared to the raw water quality used.
4 Worth noticing
4.1 Aggressive compounds and conditions
Elevated amounts of sulphates, sulphides, halides and especially chlorides are
extremely aggressive (corrosive) on iron. If there are high amounts of these aggressive
ions present in the cooling water system, the nitrite dosage must be increased
accordingly. The recommendations vary slightly between different additive
manufacturers, but for increased chloride and sulphate contents the following formulas
can be used as rules of thumb:
· Add 100 mg/l of nitrite (NO2) / 10 mg/l of chlorides (Cl), for Cl > 50 mg/l.
· Add 100 mg/l of nitrite (NO2) / 50 mg/l of sulphates (SO4), for SO4 > 150 mg/l.
CAUTION:
It is strongly recommended to change the cooling water immediately if the chloride
content of the water exceeds 200 mg/l or if the sulphate content exceeds 400 mg/l.
The nitrite oxidation curve in Figure 1 shows a schematic graph of the corrosion rate as
a function of the nitrite dosage. Observe that the position of the curve peak on the
x-axis (= dangerous condition for corrosion) is not stable, but will shift depending on
several external conditions in the cooling water, such as temperature, pH, chlorides and
sulphates contents, etc. That is, if the chloride content of the cooling water is increased
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the additive (nitrite) dosage also must be increased to avoid the conditions of increased
corrosion rate.
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NOTE:
In recently manufactured engines, the cooling water system does not have aluminium
parts, but older engines may have. If in doubt, or if a change of additive type is planned,
please contact Wärtsilä for advice. Additionally, it shall be checked that there are no
aluminium / aluminium alloy components present in the external cooling water system
when choosing a nitrite-based cooling water additive.
Aluminium has a very high resistance to corrosion. One reason for this is that aluminium
is covered spontaneously by a thin but effective coating of oxide which protects the part
from further oxidation. The aluminium oxide is impermeable and is integral with the base
metal. If the coating of oxide is mechanically damaged, the coating will be renewed
immediately. The conditions for thermodynamic stability of the oxide film are expressed
by the Pourbaix diagram (potential versus pH) in Figure 2.
The diagram shows that aluminium is passive (protected by the oxide film) in the pH
range of about 4 and 8.5. The limits of this range, however, vary somewhat with
temperature, with the specific form of oxide film present, and with the presence of
substances that can form soluble complexes or insoluble salt with aluminium.
Figure 2, Pourbaix diagram for Aluminium with an Al2O3∙3H2O film at 25°C. Potential
values are for the standard hydrogen electrode (SHE) scale
The most frequent types of corrosion are Galvanic Corrosion, Pitting and Crevice
Corrosion. Galvanic corrosion takes place when two different metals are in contact with
each other in the presence of an electrolyte. The less noble metal (anode) of the
combination corrodes, while the noble (cathode) will be protected.
A small surface of the cathode and a large surface of the anode lead to a low corrosion.
In a reverse case, the Aluminium will be attacked quickly. In most combinations with
other metals, Aluminium is the less noble. Aluminium is therefore at greater risk of
galvanic corrosion than that of the other materials.
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If a risk of freezing exists, glycol needs to be added to cooling water. Since glycol alone
does not protect the engine and cooling water system against corrosion, additionally a
validated cooling water additive must always be used. All the validated cooling water
additives are compatible with glycol.
Ready-to-use mixtures containing both glycol and corrosion inhibitors are not allowed to
use, since those are normally designed to be used as strong (30 –) 50% / 50% mixtures.,
Normally, a much lower glycol concentration is adequate to protect the cooling water
system against freezing. But when decreasing the glycol amount, simultaneously also
the concentration of corrosion inhibitors will decrease to too low level resulting in an
increased risk of corrosion.
The amount of glycol in closed cooling water system shall always be minimised since
glycol decreases the heat transfer capability of water. The engine may be subject to
additional output derating when using glycol in the cooling water.
There are two types of glycol qualities, monopropylene glycol (MPG) and
monoethyleneglycol (MEG) commercially available. Industrial qualities of both glycol
types can be used, but MPG is the more environmentally friendly alternative.
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Note 1: For many products the recommended minimum and maximum limits are listed in the table above. Since
the amount of active corrosion inhibitors, especially nitrites, is decreasing during the service of engines,
the engine manufacturer recommends starting the dosage from the upper level of indicated range.
Note 2: The nitrite content of nitrite-based cooling water additives tends to decrease in use. The risk of local
corrosion increases substantially when nitrite content goes below the recommended limit.
Note 3: Cooling water additive manufacturers can indicate the required nitrite content measured either as sodium
nitrite, NaNO2 or as nitrite, NO2. 1 mg/l as NO2 equals to 1.5 mg/l as NaNO2.
Note 4: Nitrite based cooling water additives are not offering a good protection against corrosion for aluminium
and its alloys and thus the use of such products can’t be recommended for cooling systems containing
those construction materials.
6 Contacts
If technical support is needed, please create a TechRequest in Wärtsilä Online.
For services, spare parts and/or tools, please contact your nearest Wärtsilä
representative or the Customer Support Centre (CSC):
www.wartsila.com/csc