Handbook AiAX Coatings Eng
Handbook AiAX Coatings Eng
o
o
b
d
n
a
H
n
o
i
t
c
e
t
o
r
P
n
o
i
s
o
r
r
o
C
Protection
Corrosion
Handbook
1
Corrosion Protection Handbook
Version 1.80 - May 2015
The information contained in this document represent a simple indication and have been
elaborated, starting from specific experiences that AiAX Italia Srl, did with different
customers and applications. Expressing sometimes the results of specific case studies,
AiAX Italia Srl can not be considered responsible for any error resulting from direct or
indirect use of this document and the information contained in it.
The reproduction of this document, in part, in total or for simple internal use of any
means, device, unless previously authorized in writing by AiAX Italia Srl, is not allowed.
The information contained in this document, in the view of the continuous improvement,
are subject to change; therefore, simple and/or substantial changes are possible without
prior notice.
2
C
o
r
r
o
s
i
o
n
P
r
o
t
e
c
t
i
o
n
H
a
n
d
b
o
o
k
INDEX
Introduction
Corrosion protection
C
o
r
r
o
s
i
o
n
P
r
o
t
e
c
t
i
o
n
H
a
n
d
b
o
o
k
k
o
o
b
d
n
a
H
n
o
i
t
c
e
t
o
r
P
n
o
i
s
o
r
r
o
C
4
Introduction
In over 30 years of activities in the HVAC&R market we have accumulated a
certain experience and noted the importance of preservation of energy
efficiency during the life cycle of installations.
The present document contains theory and practical cases derived from our
research and development sector in cooperation with some of the primary
European manufacturers of high efficiency chillers and rooftops.
We do not pretend to have treated the subject in an exhaustive way but we
feel sure that the achieved results can be of interest to the market operators
more sensible to the corrosion subject on HVAC&R equipment and to the
dangers that follow in terms of reliability and energy efficiency during the
system life cycle.
Good reading !
Gianni Di Pietro
Founder and Managing Director
of AiAX Italia Srl
5
C
o
r
r
o
s
i
o
n
P
r
o
t
e
c
t
i
o
n
H
a
n
d
b
o
o
k
Corrosion in
HVAC systems
Definition of corrosion
Let us start with a definition of a finned pack heat exchanger commonly called a coil. In its basic version it
is formed by a round copper tube and an aluminium fin.
The coil is an important component of units like water chillers, aircooled condensers, dry coolers and from
its performance depends most of the energy consumption of a cooling system.
In the coils the primary fluid running in the tubes can be: water , refrigerant or steam while the secondary
fluid going through the fins is invariably air.
Let us now give a definition of corrosion: it is a process which leads to the alteration or
destruction of a metal. Metals are notoriously subject to corrosion and particularly from atmospheric
agents. The two most common forms of corrosion are known as:
- galvanic corrosion
- corrosion from atmospheric impact
Galvanic corrosion
When two dissimilar metals are electrically connected in the presence of an
electrolyte a reaction starts leading to the disappearance of the less noble
metal. In the case of a coil it is the aluminium, less noble than copper, that
will be corroded.
1 Industrial ambients
2 Urban ambients
3 Rural ambients
4 Marine ambients
Outdoor ambient air can include
elements that can generate
corrosion to the exchangers
generally used in HVAC Units.
6
C
o
r
r
o
s
i
o
n
P
r
o
t
e
c
t
i
o
n
H
a
n
d
b
o
o
k
1 Industrial ambients
The industrial areas are almost always associated with emission in the atmosphere of various pollutants
like sulphur and nitrogen oxides. The combustion of solid fuels releases sulphur oxides (SO2, SO3) and
nitrogen oxides (NOx). These gases accumulate in the atmosphere and return to the ground as acid rains
or low pH dews (acid dews). In an industrial atmosphere there are normally also particles of metallic
oxides, chlorides, sulphates, sulphuric acid, carbon and carbon compounds. These particles in the
presence of oxygen, water or high humidity can be extremely corrosive.
2 Urban ambients
Densely populated areas are always associated with emissions in the atmosphere of car discharge gases
and, during the heating periods, of high contents of combustion products. Both conditions increase the
concentration of sulphur and nitrogen oxides.
3 Rural ambients
The rural ambients can contain high levels of ammonia deriving from fertilizer and animal drop-outs.
4 Marine ambients
5
Coastal areas in the proximity of the sea are characterized by an abundance of sodium chloride (salt)
which is transported by spray, fogs and mist. The saline atmosphere induces per se corrosion but, most of
all, acts as a catalyzer of corrosion in the presence of industrial emissions. A marine-industrial
environment is probably the worst situation from the corrosion point of view.
In the same time the galvanic corrosion, that appears at the bimetallic
contact between copper and aluminium, erodes the collar eliminating the
close contact between tube and fin. Decreasing the heat exchange even Effects of corrosion on a
more. typical air side Copper-
The disappearance of the collar exposes the tube; some crystals can be Aluminium exchanger,
installed on a unit located in a
deposited and this can lead to a pitting corrosion which provokes a leak of urban ambient, with high level
the primary fluid. If this is refrigerant, as it is for all condensing coils, it will of atmospheric pollution.
cause the stop of the unit, adding in the same time, additional pollution to
the atmosphere.
7
C
o
r
r
o
s
i
o
n
P
r
o
t
e
c
t
i
o
n
H
a
n
d
b
o
o
k
Corrosion
Protection
The most common method of corrosion prevention is to coat the parts exposed to corrosion, avoiding the
contact with the polluting agents. This method can be applied also to coils, however we must keep in
mind some important points:
- the fins have a special configuration which increases the air turbulence
thus improving the heat exchange, The coating must not modify the fin
configuration;
- the application of a layer of coat on both fin sides reduces the air
passage area. This generates a higher pressure drop which either reduces
the air flow or increases the absorbed power.
Example of a typical
Esempio di una batteria di
The above points have a vital importance and must be kept in mind when scambio termico a pacco
alettato protetta dalla
selecting the proper protection. There are however other protection features corrosione
which are convenient:
2 - dirt repellence: the air passing through the fins deposits dirt which will
adhere less easily if the coating is particularly smooth;
C
o
r
r
o
s
i
o
n
P
r
o
t
e
c
t
i
o
n
H
a
n
d
b
o
o
k
The traditional solutions do not offer
the guarantees that Post-Coating can feature
In the market we have seen in the past several solutions to protect from corrosion but almost all had
weak points in one or another direction.
Surface coating: the basic idea is to eliminate totally the contact between
the polluted air and the metal. We can distinguish two methods of
application of the coating:
Corrosion Effects on a
- Pre-coating typical Copper-Copper Coil
- Post-coating
Pre-coating: it is a layer of coat of few micron thickness applied on the aluminium coil before it enters the
fin press for the fin moulding. The process implies a great number of cuts on the fin edge, on the collar
and, if the fin is louvered, on thousands of louvers. The cuts eliminate the coating and expose the metal.
In reality this is NOT a protection against the corrosion.
So in the end the initial cost of a pre-coating can be sometimes less that a
post-Coating, on the other hand considering the long lasting value, including
better efficiency (due to possibility of re-application) post-coating, quite
often, offers a greater value for the customer than pre-coating.
9
C
o
r
r
o
s
i
o
n
P
r
o
t
e
c
t
i
o
n
H
a
n
d
b
o
o
k
Different systems of Post-Coating
Having already shown that the only method that makes sense from the point of view of corrosion
protection is the post-coating one let us see which are the available methods:
1 by immersion
2 by spraying
3 by flooding
This first list of possible solutions must be immediately confronted with a fundamental and not to be
ignored element: the anticorrosion protection must be re-applicable.
The experience shows, in fact, that there is no method that can guarantee indefinitely in time against the
corrosion. It is always necessary a maintenance which keeps or reinstates the optimal resistance
conditions of a just applied treatment. We repeat what already mentioned: any non re-applicable method
has a time limited duration and should be considered an unvalid solution. The duration depends from
ambient conditions and can , in limit cases, be of only few months..
The immersion method is not re-applicable by definition. There are also limitations in the coil size
that can be treated as the immersion baths do not exceed 4-6 meters of length. The two other methods
(by spraying and by flooding) are re-applicable and are the only systems which can, according to our
experience, be considered safe from the point of view of corrosion protection.
Penetration: it is necessary that the protection coating is total, i.e. that also the coil internal surface,
most difficult to reach, is coated. If a part of the surface is uncovered the corrosion can start in that point
and, once started, will expand under the coat layer. Leaving uncovered spots is equivalent to render
useless the whole treatment with waste of time and money.
Fin edge coverage: the most delicate point is surely the fin edge where the metal thickness is less than
200 micron and where, due to the limited surface support, it is higher the risk that the coating may not
adhere perfectly. Furthermore the fin edge, more exposed to the air flow, can be subject to erosion from
solid particles carried by the air.
1
0
C
o
r
r
o
s
i
o
n
P
r
o
t
e
c
t
i
o
n
H
a
n
d
b
o
o
k
The anticorrosion
flooding process
AiAX COATINGS EXPERIENCES:
THE ANTICORROSION FLOODING PROCESS
Years of experience have convinced us that the absolute security of penetration of the protection in the
inner parts of the fin pack cannot be obtained only through a spraying procedure. In many cases the
penetration stops at few centimeters from each side of the coil and the quality of the result depends
substantially from the operator skill and attention.
For further protection of the fin edge, which we have noticed to be the critical point of the
coil, a second coating by spraying is superposed to that applied by flooding.
In this way the protection of the whole fin pack is guaranteed, while the re-applicability on the fin edge is
possible every time it becomes necessary.
Also on the side of the product, in parallel to our traditional products AiAX
Silver Flow that is a polyurethane based special coating applicable with a
flooding procedure and completely compatible with the AiAX Silver Spray
coating, also polyurethane based, and applicable with a spraying procedure,
we have introduced an innovation with the AA Aqua Aero which is water
based, very often used to protect Microchannel heat exchangers completely
in aluminium. These exchangers have a limited thickness, for this reason
they are normally protected with the spraying method.
In any case the immersion method had and still has some disadvantages like:
-
The dimension of the bath in which the coil should be dipped is normally limited to only few
meters of length.
-
The quantity of chemical product to be used is far in excess of what adheres to the finned
surface. The product characteristics, in almost all cases, requires that the product is removed
1
1
C
o
r
r
o
s
i
o
n
P
r
o
t
e
c
t
i
o
n
H
a
n
d
b
o
o
k
from the bath when the application cycle is finished. This leads to substantial losses of
- products which increase the operation cost.
Many, if not all, the immersion products are not suitable also for spraying application. This
means that a touch up of the finned surface, sometime after the first application, is not
possible. The experience shows that, however good the product and the application method,
after a certain time (depending on installation site ambient conditions) a maintenance
intervention becomes necessary, particularly on the fin edge which, having a thickness of few
micron, is subject to lose the protection due to erosion or corrosion. A touch up intervention
on the fin edge, within a programmed maintenance, extends the life of a coil much beyond
the life of other components of the same unit. If the product is not re-applicable by spraying
and the touch up can be made only through another dipping process, it is quite evident that a
regular maintenance cannot be carried out: it would be necessary to remove the coil to send it
to the original applicator with clearly unbearable costs.
C
o
r
r
o
s
i
o
n
P
r
o
t
e
c
t
i
o
n
H
a
n
d
b
o
o
k
Application case study
Chiller capacity: 329 kW
Energy efficiency is a focal point in designing new buildings and in retrofitting old ones. The condenser
coil of a chiller can lose part of its heat exchange capacity even in less than one year from the date of its
installation and the velocity of deterioration depends from the local environment.
C
o
r
r
o
s
i
o
n
P
r
o
t
e
c
t
i
o
n
H
a
n
d
b
o
o
k
The above situation does not take into account maintenance interventions on the coils, which is a typical
case when the coils are not treated against corrosion and it is not required a specific maintenance in
order not to render nil and void the warranty.
Let us take, as an example, a chiller with four scroll compressors of about 329 kW of cooling capacity
(water 12-7°C and ambient air 35°C) with a compressor EER=3,17. The chiller is used in a comfort
installation. We shall have about 3.000 hours of yearly operation with a bell shaped load profile which, for
ease of understanding, we approximate as per the following table.
The yearly total of kWh 133.800 is referred to a brand new unit. Given the coil deterioration of Table 1 the
consumption will be:
In other words in the five years after the first year of operation there is an additional consumption of kWh
55.024 which at an average industrial cost of 0,17 €/kWh (Italy) yields a total of € 9.354.
To this cost, conservatively calculated, even if by broad outline, it should be added the longer time of
chiller operation to reach the desired temperature level. The above example would be even more
significant were the chiller operating in an industrial installation in which the yearly hours would be more
than 3.000 and with a more onerous load profile. Again as an order of magnitude we use the same
example in an industrial situation of process water cooling.
C
o
r
r
o
s
i
o
n
P
r
o
t
e
c
t
i
o
n
H
a
n
d
b
o
o
k
In other words in the first five years after the first year of operation there is an additional consumption of
kWh 148.049 which, at an average industrial cost of 0,17 €/kWh (Italy) yields a total of € 25.168.
It should be noted that we have assumed urban ambient conditions while in industrial areas conditions
are definitely worse.
Basically even class A units, after a certain period of time, depending on ambient conditions
of the site of operation, would decrease their performance without a proper anticorrosion
treatment in the condenser coil.
The application of an AIAX Coatings treatment reduces the risk of refrigerant leaks and of stopping the
chiller and ensures an optimal performance for the whole life cycle of the installation provided there is an
easy and low cost maintenance (periodical washing with water ad detergent).
1
5
C
o
r
r
o
s
i
o
n
P
r
o
t
e
c
t
i
o
n
H
a
n
d
b
o
o
k
Information about
AiAX Italia
AiAX Coatings, more than 30 years of HVAC experience
Founded in 1978 from Gianni Di Pietro, AiAX Italia Srl has initially supplied services of engineering and
marketing in the Airconditioning and refrigeration markets. On the basis of the experience acquired in
years of activity in Midde and Far East and in Europe, the AiAX Coatings division has been created with
the intent of studying corrosion protection systems for finned pack heat exchangers, primary source of
energy dissipation in units like water chillers, condensing units, dry coolers and similar.
Recently the company has introduced new products of significant ecologic value and new application
procedures which project new light in the coil anticorrosion methods.
The new water based products (instead of solvent based) offer a protection certified by salt fog tests
while the flooding procedure guarantees a total coverage of finned packs of any commercial thickness. In
a period of macro-economic uncertainties the development of the Italian economy can only pass through
a reduction of the energy costs and an increase in the efficiency of equipment and production methods.
AiAX Coatings offers an important contribution making it possible the almost always unrealized wish of
maintaining the heat exchanger performance equal to that of the first day of operation for a prolonged
period of time.
C
o
r
r
o
s
i
o
n
P
r
o
t
e
c
t
i
o
n
H
a
n
d
b
o
o
k
The traditional solvent based products
Designed for all types of finned coils with any thickness of the finned pack
- AiAX Silver Flow FL10K specific for flooding procedure
- AiAX Silver Spray KL10K specific for spraying procedure
The solvent based products, further improved, are used for the "Flooding
Method" coating which is in absolute the most performing procedure for
Round Tube Finned Pack coils.
The "Flooding Method" ensures penetration of the entire finned pack, and
then the protection is excellent both against galvanic corrosion and against
corrosion by accumulation of pollutant.
After the flooding of the entire finned pack it is normally don a further
finishing spraing application to cover the edge of the fins. Double protection
by "Flooding Method" and spray is the more serious approach so far
experienced for a consistent corrosion protection over time.
Ahestetic appearance
of the Protection
“AiAX Silver Flow FL10K” and
“AiAX Silver Spray KL10K”
C
o
r
r
o
s
i
o
n
P
r
o
t
e
c
t
i
o
n
H
a
n
d
b
o
o
k
Products
AiAX Coatings has a complete range of anticorrosion protections specifically suitable for different HVAC
applications. The technical characteristics and the safety data of AiAX Coatings protections are
included in two different documents that can be downloaded from www.aiaxcoatings.com.
• AA Aqua Aero
Anticorrosion protection specific for heat exchangers.
Particularly designed for Microchannel exchangers.
Application is possible with spraying procedure.
• PXPP Pancoat
Anticorrosion protection specifically studied for the drain pans or the bottom panels of various units where
there is a concentration of polluting/oxidizing products.
1
8
C
o
r
r
o
s
i
o
n
P
r
o
t
e
c
t
i
o
n
H
a
n
d
b
o
o
k
k
o
o
b
d
n
a
H
n
o
i
t
c
e
t
o
r
P
n
o
i
s
o
r
r
o
C
9
1
Notes
Corrosion Protection Handbook
Copyright © 2015 AiAX Italia Srl Distributed by:
Via T.Boccuccia, 18 - 00033 Cave (RM) Italy
T +39 06 95308103
F +39 06 95000142
E info@aiaxcoatings.com
www.aiaxcoatings.com
P.IVA 01683461006
2
0
C
o
r
r
o
s
i
o
n
P
r
o
t
e
c
t
i
o
n
H
a
n
d
b
o
o
k