Aluminum-Bronze Valves Tame Corrosion in Nuclear Power Plant
A nuclear power plant uses seawater for its service water system to cool pumps, motors and other heat generating equipment. The original intake valves were butterfly carbon steel bodies with rubber linings. The rubber linings separated from the bodies with the seawater corroding the bodies. In addition to rust, these steel valves formed a strong galvanic cell with the copper-nickel (Cu-Ni) clad piping.
Flowserve technicians eliminated both the oxidation and galvanic corrosion issues with aluminum-bronze valves. When properly heat treated, UNS C95400 castings are virtually impervious to corrosion.
"Utilizing Aluminum-Bronze to Reduce Maintenance and Corrosion in Nuclear Plant Service Water Valves"