Flow-accelerated corrosion (FAC) is a relatively well understood phenomenon, yet its prediction and prevention in the field appear to be less than satisfactory as reflected by the continued occurrence of serious to fatal instances. This paper provides a critical review of the likely underlying factors with a discussion of the key issues needing greater attention or resolution. The review takes into account the root cause analyses of recent major FAC events as well as some of the very early experiences (when the term FAC was not in use) in the power plant systems. Based on the observations from these works, the kev issues are identified and discussed in relation to the well understood FAC phenomenology. It is observed that, in general, the prevention or minimization of FAC damage is relatively straightforward and, in many cases, cost effective, compared to the monitoring and measurements needing accuracy and prediction reliability not easily achievable. The appropriate selection of material, design, and water chemistry, in that order, should achieve the prevention or minimization. However, in cases where this is not possible, either due to existing conditions or other unavoidable reasons, effective degradation management should incorporate improvements leading to better monitoring, accuracy of measurement data, and reliability of analysis. The resulting areas of future work and useful advances suggested by this critical review are summarized.
展开▼
