Galvanic Corrosion
Galvanic Corrosion
Galvanic Corrosion
ENVIRONMENTAL CORROSION
PROTECTION
COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS:
CONDENSER COILS AND COOLING/HEATING COILS
ALUMINUM-FIN/COPPER-TUBE COILS
COPPER-FIN/COPPER-TUBE COILS
PRE-COATED ALUMINUM-FIN/COPPER-TUBE COILS
E-COATED ALUMINUM-FIN/COPPER-TUBE COILS
E-COATED COPPER-FIN/COPPER-TUBE COILS
Carrier Corporation
Syracuse, New York
March 2005
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
Corrosion is costly. By definition, corrosion is the If units are improperly applied or left unprotected,
destruction or deterioration of a metal or alloy these units can experience rapid corrosion from
through chemical, physical, or electrochemical reac- exposure to aggressive elements. However, meas-
tion with the environment. As applied to HVAC ures can be taken to identify potentially corrosive
equipment, exposure to various elements in the environments prior to equipment selection. With
environment can lead to localized and/or general this information, the best-suited coil protection can
corrosion of heating and cooling coils. Improperly be applied to minimize the harmful effects of corro-
protected coils in corrosive areas can lead to prema- sive elements and ensure long equipment life.
ture performance degradation, unsightly surface
conditions and, under the most severe conditions, This guide will assist in the selection of appropriate
equipment failure. This can be costly to the cus- coils and long-term product solutions in potentially
tomer and result in lost sales caused by the percep- corrosive environments by describing:
tion of poor product quality. Fortunately, corrosion
can be minimized in most cases with proper coil • What causes corrosion
protection. • How to identify potentially harmful
environments
Commercial equipment that may be susceptible to • How to select proper coil protection
corrosion includes:
Rooftop Units With this information, intelligent equipment selec-
Air-Cooled Chillers tion decisions can be made to optimize the level of
Air-Cooled Condensing Units corrosion protection and maintain the highest level
Remote Air-Cooled Condensers Make-Up of long-term equipment quality.
Air-Handling Equipment
3
WHAT CAUSES CORROSION? includes aluminum oxide build up around the tube
surface and within the fin pack, flaking aluminum
Corrosion takes on many forms. The most common fins, fins falling from the coil surface in thin sheets
forms of corrosion, as applied to HVAC equipment, and total removal of the aluminum fin material.
are known as galvanic and general corrosion. Each
of these corrosion types can lead to equipment fail-
ure. As a result, special attention will be given to CORRODED
ALUMINUM
each of these types of corrosion. FIN
Galvanic Corrosion
AIRFLOW
When dissimilar metals are in contact in the pres-
ence of an electrolyte, a reaction occurs. This reac-
tion is known as galvanic corrosion. There must be
a metallic couple between two or more dissimilar
metals in the presence of an electrolyte. Without any Fig. 2. Galvanic corrosion begins.
one of these ingredients, galvanic corrosion will not
occur. Bi-Metallic Construction
4
sodium or calcium chloride compounds. Other rele- CLEAN
UNCONTAMINATED COPPER
vant contaminates that may be present include sul- ATMOSPHERE TUBE
fur and nitrogen compounds, from the combustion
of coal and fuel oils.
A corrosive environment must be clearly identified • Is the unit near the ocean? Visit the proposed
and understood before proper coil protection can be installation site. How far away from the ocean is the
selected. In addition to proper coil protection, indoor site? Are the prevailing winds from the ocean? If so,
air quality codes and generally accepted practices the potential for severe coastal corrosion should be
must be addressed. Corrosive environments may expected and appropriate protection is required.
have a detrimental effect on indoor air quality.
• Is there corrosion on exterior structures, other
Potentially corrosive outdoor environments include HVAC equipment, or other equipment? Look around
areas adjacent to the seacoast, industrial sites, heav- the installation site and surrounding areas. If there is
ily populated urban areas, some rural locations, or evidence of corrosion, chances are high that corro-
combinations of any of these environments. In air- sive contaminates exist and suitable protection is
handling applications, some indoor environments required.
such as swimming pool areas, water treatment facil-
ities, and industrial process areas can produce corro- Industrial
sive atmospheres.
Industrial applications are
Local environments must also be considered; close associated with a host of
proximity to laundry facilities, diesel-burning diverse conditions with the
devices/exhaust piping, sewer vents, traffic, etc. can potential to produce various
also lead to premature failure of improperly selected corrosive emissions. Sulfur
equipment. and nitrogen containing con-
taminants are most often
Coastal / Marine linked but not limited to to
industrial and high-density
Many emerging HVAC markets urban environments. Combustion of coal and fuel
have a majority of their popula- oils release sulfur oxides (SO2, SO3) and nitrogen
tions located in coastal areas. oxides (NOx) into the atmosphere. These gases accu-
This leads to an increased number mulate in the atmosphere and return to the ground in
of air conditioning applications the form of acid rain or low pH dew.
located in corrosive environ-
ments. Not only are industrial emissions potentially corro-
sive, many industrial dust particles can be laden with
Coastal or marine environments are characterized by harmful metal oxides, chlorides, sulfates, sulfuric
the abundance of sodium chloride (salt) that is car- acid, carbon, and carbon compounds. These parti-
ried by sea spray, mist or fog. Most importantly this cles, in the presence of oxygen, water, or high
salt contamination can be carried many miles inland humidity environments can be highly corrosive.
from the coast. Even if the HVAC equipment is a
substantial distance from the ocean, corrosion from Note: These particles/contaminates can be carried
salt contamination can still occur if the equipment is for many miles.
not properly protected.
8
CORROSION PROTECTION OPTIONS Aluminum fin stock is coated with a baked-on
epoxy coating prior to the fin stamping process
The highest level of product quality can be assured (Figure 7). Coating of the fin material prior to the fin
when the right protection is applied. The choices stamping process is known as “pre-coating.” The
available on Carrier’s commercial products offer the pre-coated fin material is then stamped to form a
right protection for many aggressive environments. wavy fin pattern for optimum thermal performance.
The wavy design can be recognized by the
Condenser Coils vertical corrugation on the fin face. Vertical corru-
gations increase the fin’s effective surface area and
Standard Coil Construction
further enhance heat transfer properties.
The standard condenser coil has copper-tubes INSULATING BARRIER
BETWEEN THE
mechanically bonded to aluminum-fins with lou- FIN AND TUBE
The standard coil generally provides the highest per- A thin layer of inert epoxy precoating material insu-
formance for non-corrosive environments. (e.g., lates the dissimilar metals of the coil from one
non-polluted Rural Environments). Application of another. As a result, the electrical connection
this coil in any environment containing corrosive between the copper and aluminum is broken, thus
constituents is not recommended due to the likeli- preventing galvanic corrosion. In mild coastal envi-
hood of visible deterioration resulting from corro- ronments precoated coils are an economical alterna-
sion. tive to E-coated coils and offer substantial corrosion
protection beyond the standard uncoated coil.
Copper-Fin Coils
ENHANCED
ALUMINUM
FIN Copper-fin coils eliminate the bi-metallic bond
found on standard fin coils (Figure 8). A copper
COPPER TUBE
wavy fin pattern, void of louvered enhancements, is
mechanically bonded to the standard copper tube.
All copper tube sheets are also provided to enhance
the natural resistance of all copper construction. A
protective Mylar strip installed between the coil
Fig. 6. Standard coil construction.
assembly and sheet metal coil support pan further
protects the coil from galvanic corrosion.
Pre-Coated Aluminum-Fin Coils
Pre-coated aluminum-fin coils have a durable epoxy Copper-fin coils are priced higher than aluminum
coating applied to the fin. This design offers protec- precoated fin coils, since material costs for copper
tion in mildly corrosive coastal environments, but is are greater than aluminum. However, coastal corro-
not recommended in severe industrial or severe sion durability in an unpolluted marine environment
coastal environments. can be substantially improved over the standard or
precoated coil construction, since the bi-metallic
construction is not present.
9
SINGLE METAL
BOND BETWEEN
ultra clean. The water bath rinses residual dust and
FIN AND TUBE
contamination away in preparation for the E-coating
COPPER FIN
process. The fundamental principle of electrocoat-
ing is that the materials with opposite electrical
MYLAR STRIP
COPPER TUBE charges attract each other. An electrocoating system
SEPARATES
COIL FROM applies a DC charge to the coil immersed in a bath
GALVANIZED
COIL SUPPORT
COPPER TUBE
SHEET of oppositely charged epoxy molecules. The mole-
cules are drawn to the metal, forming an even, con-
tinuous film over the entire surface. At a certain
Fig. 8. Copper-fin coil assembly. point, the coating film insulates the metal, stopping
the attraction, and preventing further coating depo-
Copper-fin coils provide increased corrosion resist- sition (self-limiting nature of the coating process).
ance in coastal environments where pollution
sources are not present. Copper is generally resistant The final rinse bath removes and recovers residual
to unpolluted coastal environments, since a natural coating material to ensure a smooth coating and
protective film is formed to passivate the copper minimizes process waste. A precisely controlled
surfaces. Furthermore, a mono-metal bond exists oven bake cures the coating uniformly to ensure
between the tube and the fin. However, uncoated consistent adhesion on all coil surfaces. Finally, a
copper coils are not suitable for polluted coastal UV protective topcoat is applied to shield the finish
applications or industrial applications, since many from ultraviolet degradation and to ensure coating
pollutants attack copper. The use of uncoated copper durability and long life.
in these applications is not appropriate and must be
avoided to ensure long coil life. E-coated alu-
minum-fin coils should be considered for such
applications.
12
Common industrial contaminants which are resisted
by the E-coated coils are shown in Table B.
Table B
Industrial Contaminants
Potential
Color of
Chemical Type of Industry/ Source of Corrosion
Contaminant Symbols Application Contaminant (on copper)*
Sulfur Oxides SO2 Pulp, Paper & Lumber Plants Process Emissions Black
SO3 Incineration Facilities Products of Combustion Blue
Fuel Burning Power Generation
Diesel/Gasoline Engine Operation
Nitrogen Oxides NOx Pulp, Paper & Lumber Plants Process Emissions Black
Incineration Facilities Products of Combustion Blue
Fuel Burning Power Generation
Diesel/Gasoline Engine Operation
13
SELECTION SUMMARY TABLES
(TABLES C-H)
Table C
Coastal Environment Protection Option
14
Table D
Industrial Environment Protection Option
Severity of Environmental Factors
Low Severe
Contaminant Concentration*
0 ppm 100 ppm
Corrosion Present on Other Equipment
Coil Option None Present Noticeable Corrosion
Table E
Combined Coastal/Industrial Environment Protection Option
15
Table F
Urban Environment Protection Option
16
Table G
Advantages/Disadvantages of Protection Options
Table H
Comparison of Protection Options with Standard Aluminum-Fin Copper-Tube Coil
Corrosion Thermal
Coil Option Cost Availability Protection Weight Performance
Copper Fin -- = + -- =
Note: More than one + indicates factor is significantly better than standard coil;
more than one - indicates factor is significantly less favorable than standard coil.
17
COIL MAINTENANCE AND Kure Beach Studies
CLEANING RECOMMENDATIONS
Coils and equipment are exposed to a coastal envi-
Routine cleaning of coil surfaces is essential to ronment at a facility run by the LaQue Center for
maintain proper operation of the unit. Elimination of Corrosion Testing in Kure Beach, NC. The atmos-
contamination and removal of harmful residues will pheric conditions are monitored at this site where
greatly increase the life of the coil and extend the exposures have been done over the years at 80-ft or
life of the unit. 800-ft distances from the mean tide line. The testing
performed here allows Carrier to determine actual
RELIABILITY TESTING/QUALITY performance of corrosion protection methods in a
ASSURANCE AT CARRIER coastal environment. The results obtained from test-
ing at the beach are used to develop accelerated lab-
As part of Carrier’s commitment to continuous oratory methods to simulate coastal environments
product improvement and quality assurance, many and to test methods for preventing corrosion.
tests can be performed to determine the level of cor-
rosion protection for specific applications and Traditional salt spray testing has been performed
environments. according to the neutral salt spray test ASTM
Specification - B117 which uses a continuous 5%
Moist SO2 Chamber salt fog at 35 degrees C. This has been the accepted
corrosion test method for more than 80 years, but
Moist SO2 testing is typically accomplished in what good correlation between the test results and corro-
is referred to as a Kesternich Chamber. The purpose sion seen in actual atmospheric exposures has sel-
of this cyclical testing is to simulate industrial dom been found. New test methods involving cycli-
atmospheres by introducing a known volume of SO2 cal exposures are being developed which can be
gas and exposing material to this while simultane- better correlated with actual atmospheric exposure
ously controlling the humidity at a high level for results.
8 hours. This is followed by an ambient condition
dry cycle of 16 hours. Cyclic Corrosion Testing
Thermal Performance
Thermal After After
Peformance 10001000
HourHour
Prohesion TestTes
Prohesion
1.10
Bare Coil
E-Coat:
E-Coat: No Effect
effect on
on Thermal
Thermal
Performance
Performance After 1000Hour
After 1000 HourExposure!
Exposure!
Precoated
1.00 Coil
G*
Thermal Performance Factor G*
Coating 1
0.90 Coating 2
Coating 3
0.80
E-Coated
Coil
Thermal
0.70
0.60
0.50
0 1000
Exposure Time (Hours)
19
APPENDIX Note: All data, statements, and recommendations
are based on research conducted by the E-Coat man-
E-Coating Chemical Resistance Guide ufacturer and are believed to be accurate. However,
no guarantee of accuracy can be made and Carrier
The coating materials used for E-Coat will with- Corporation assumes no liability as a result.
stand exposure to many corrosive atmospheres with
the exception of formic acid and nitric acid. The
E-Coat material is resistant to fumes from the chem-
icals listed below. However, Carrier does not rec-
ommend direct coil immersion service for any of
these chemicals. The chemical resistance guidelines
were determined by a 24-hour spot test exposure of
the chemical listed at ambient temperature condi-
tions. Resistance was determined for these chemi-
cals at the concentrations identified.
20
®