Effect of common water contaminants on the corrosion of aluminium alloys in ethylene glycol–water solution

The effects of common water contaminants of chloride (Cl−), cupric (Cu2+) and ferric (Fe3+) ions, in four different mixture combination of Fe3+ + Cu2+, Cl− + Fe3+, Cl− + Cu2+ and Cl− + Fe3+ + Cu2+, were examined on the corrosion behaviour of aluminium alloys in ethylene glycol–water solution, using mass loss technique. The highest material losses were recorded for the two alloys in ethylene glycol solution containing the combination of the chloride and the two heavy metal ions. The corrosivity of the solution in the presence of the combination of ions was in the order of Cl− + Fe3+ + Cu2+ > Cl− + Cu2+ > Cl− + Fe3+ > Fe3+ + Cu2+. The results gave first-order kinetics with respect to aluminium in ethylene glycol solution-ion systems. Alloy 3SR exhibits maximum corrosion in all the solutions. It is concluded that the two commercial alloys in the solution polluted with all the three ions would not be able to survive for reasonable period of time without corrosion inhibitor.