Can titanium-based materials resist seawater corrosion?
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In order to meet the new environmental protection standards, our company’s sulfur recovery exhaust gas treatment unit plans to install a plate heat exchanger at the inlet of the absorption tower, which will be cooled using seawater. The design team has chosen titanium-based materials for this purpose, but we are still cautious, worried about potential corrosion and leaks. Can titanium-based materials resist seawater corrosion?
Titanium is really good; no problem at all. If you’re still not convinced, apply an anti-corrosion coating to the titanium – it’s a bit costly.
Of course. Titanium-based materials exhibit excellent resistance to seawater corrosion. One of the key features of titanium and its alloys is their resistance to seawater corrosion.
It can be said that few materials are as resistant to seawater corrosion as titanium. It’s definitely better than all the materials you’ve seen before. But two points should also be noted. 1. The solution must not contain a large amount of fluoride ions. 2. Pure titanium may suffer from crevice corrosion in seawater at temperatures above 80°C. This can be avoided by using a titanium-palladium alloy or a titanium-nickel-molybdenum alloy
Titanium is highly corrosion-resistant in most salt solutions, even at high temperatures and high concentrations, and is more resistant to corrosion than stainless steel and certain nickel-based alloys. (The UK uses titanium drilling equipment in oil and gas drilling, and its long-term performance is excellent.)
We used shell-and-tube seawater coolers in the past, and leaks occurred frequently, causing significant damage to the system.
Heat exchangers made of silicon carbide material could be considered
Ti-2 grade titanium material for seawater-cooled heat exchangers in offshore platforms
Titanium materials have excellent corrosion resistance, but poor anti-fouling properties; they tend to cause pipe blockages, so it is necessary to make use of electrolytic anti-fouling methods.