"Corrosion of 90-10 Cu-Ni tubes in h3S+HCN+Aqueous NH3"
Question:
"The fractionator overhead condensors in our catalytic cracking unit(of our oil refinery) have 90-10 Cu-Ni tubes. We are experiencing thick adherent scaling on the external surface of the tubes which eventually lead to tube leaks. Could you give me the mechanism of deterioration of 90-10 Cu-Ni tubes in h3S+HCN+Aqueous NH3 atmosphere?"
Answer:
Copper usually experiences uniform corrosion and is not particularly resistant to h3S and ammonia-based aqueous environments.