A field based study of ferrous metal corrosion in groundwater

There is an increased emphasis on adopting explicit management strategies to ensure the effective use of water wells. This can be achieved through identifying the operational and maintenance needs of water wells and associated infrastructure. The types of material used for this infrastructure will impact upon the life of these assets and their maintenance needs. In groundwater environments there is often little available corrosion rate data from historical records of operating wells upon which to make choices about material selection. Under these conditions it is necessary to rely on corrosion test data to inform design choices. A long term field based immersion test using corrosion coupons was undertaken at 24 sites across Australia. The general corrosion rates of mild steel after 9 months were found to range from 0.018 to 0.624 mm per year while stainless steel was found to have minimal corrosion under the same conditions. Galvanised steel was found to offer minimal protection compared with mild steel when the pH was below 7.