RELEVANCE OF CORROSION RESEARCH IN THE MATERIAL SELECTION FOR DESALINATION PLANTS1

Besides cost, availability and design considerations, the erosion and corrosion behavior of materials in the service environment is an important factor for selection of materials in processing plants. The phenomenon of local corrosion has been frequently observed in evaporators, heat exchangers, pressure pipings, pumps and valves of the seawater desalination plants. This paper describes the different types of materials used in seawa-ter multistage flash evaporation (MSF) and reverse osmosis (RO) plants and their per-formance since the inception of plants. The logic of using superior materials such as high alloy steels in place of conventional stainless steels and its consequences on the short term and long term maintenance costs are qualitatively evaluated. The relevance of materials research and reliance on failure analysis in the operation and maintenance of the desalination plants have also been discussed