Dezincification

made by
jason

Definition - What does Dezincification mean?

Dezincification is a process which selectively removes zinc from an

alloy, leaving behind a porous, copper-rich structure that has little
mechanical strength.

Dezincification can show itself in a variety of ways depending on

the water composition and service conditions. It may present itself
as dull red spots on the surface of brass. It can also manifest as
seepage of water through the walls of fittings or leakage at valves.
Extreme dezincification can cause actual breakage, with a dull
coppery appearance to the fracture surface.

Copper alloys that contain less than 15% zinc and alpha brasses
inhibited by arsenic or antimony are resistant to dezincification,
when in service in water or soil environments.

Why Dezincification Occurs Copper-zinc alloys

containing more than 15% zinc are susceptible to
. Zinc is a highly reactive metal, as seen in its galvanic
dezincification?
series ranking. This reactivity stems from the fact that
zinc has a very weak atomic bond relative to other
metals. Simply, zinc atoms are easily given up to
solutions with certain aggressive characteristics. During
dezincification, the more active zinc is selectively
removed from the brass, leaving behind a weak deposit
of the porous, more noble copper-rich metal.

Dezincified brass retains the original shape and dimensions of

the metal component before corrosion, but the residue is
porous
and has very little strength.

Conditions favoring dezincification are:

Contact with slightly acid or alkaline water

Water with little aeration

Low flow rates of the circulating liquid

Relatively high tube-wall temperatures

Permeable deposits or coatings over the tube surface

TYPES

An in-service valve suffering from dezincification has a

white powdery substance or mineral stains on its
exterior surface. The valve may exhibit water weeping
from the valve body or stem/bonnet seal. Two types of
corrosive attack characterize dezincification in this case:

Plug-type dezincification

Uniform-layer dezincification

Plug-type dezincification

Plug-type dezincification is localized within surrounding

surfaces mostly unaffected by corrosion. This type of
dezincification penetrates deeply into the sidewalls of
valves and fittings. Common failures associated with
plug-type attack include penetration through the
sidewalls that causes water seepage or loss of
mechanical strength in threaded sections to the point of
fracture

Uniform-layer dezincification

Uniform-layer dezincification leaches zinc from a broad

area of the surface. This type of dezincification
uniformly reduces the wall thickness of the valve or
fitting. A complex set of conditions must be present for
dezincification to occur, and the occurrence is often
related to region of the country.

The service conditions generally present where

The service conditions generally present where dezincification occurs include:
dezincification
occurs include:

Water with high levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide (uniform attack).

Stagnant or slow moving waters (uniform attack).

Slightly acidic water, low in salt content and at room temperature (uniform attack).

Soft, low pH and low mineral water combined with oxygen, which forms zinc oxide
(uniform attack).

Waters with high chloride ion content (uniform attack).

Neutral or alkaline waters, high in salt content and at or above room temperature
(plug-type attack).

Referance

https://www.nace.org/Corrosion-Central/Corrosion101/Dezincification/

http://www.corrosionpedia.com/definition/384/dezincifica
tion

http://www.slideshare.net/labeebmlp/selective-leachingor-dezincification

http://baike.baidu.com/link?url=3CPqFpyTFmWjR7oEoz5py-lLWxmKX73ICdnow6TGiMM4ngISJ3oMmFC_rHbSCWq9qT
7H2sqITKjNU4lPEKWa