Corrosion of tube and pipe alloys due to polluted sea‐water

Numerous failures of aluminium–brass heat‐exchanger tubes and copper–nickel–iron sea‐water pipes in polluted estuarine sea‐water were found to be associated with sulphide films which stimulated pitting and stress‐corrosion cracking at holidays (breaks) in the film. The use of sodium dimethyl dithiocarbamate which formed an insoluble copper–chelate film on the surface of these alloys was effective in combatting this deterioration.