AWWA WQTC57171

In this study, a corrosion potential stagnant/flow method (CPSF) has been investigated as an alternative technique to monitor the corrosion rate of heavy metal such as copper or lead, aiming to develop an online monitoring system for household plumbing. The concept of CPSF relies on the relationship between metal concentration and the corrosion potential of the metal pipe during stagnation. The experiments were performed with special corrosion cells prepared with Cu coil as well as metal (Cu) plate with a programmed schedule of stagnation and flow sequences. Water in the system was re-circulated and samples were collected at regular intervals and analyzed for released copper using an ICP instrument, along with continuous online measurement of Ecorr data. Results from the inital stages of the study show good correlation between Ecorr data and associated Cu concentration, which corresponds with the Nemst equation. Current research focuses on the behavioral changes of this relation under varying water quality. Due to the strength of the correlation between Ecorr values and metal concentrations in the solution, it is possible to model the CPSF method to monitor and quantify the corrosion processes online utilizing only very simple and inexpensive instrumentation. Includes 20 references, figures.