Impact of the antifreeze composition on the risk of corrosion occurrence in copper structure elements of the HVAC systems

Abstract

The operation time of HVAC systems in industry and construction engineering is counted in decades. Corrosion protection of these systems is crucial for their long-term and failure-free operation. In the case of working mediums based on glycols, corrosion protection is provided by anti-corrosion additives, which are the component of antifreeze. The defence mechanism consists in the interaction of these additives with metal surfaces, with whom they contact by creating durable and efficient layers separating their surfaces from aggressive environmental factors. Observation of the structure of protective layers and corrosion micro changes was possible due to the application of microscopic imaging. The main building material in heat exchangers is copper. Studies have shown that the dilution of antifreeze may result in the formation of insufficiently clear protective layers on the copper surface, which may intensify the negative effects of fluids on copper elements of infrastructure HVAC systems.