Corrosion Control Studies in Water Distribution Systems
W. M. Kriven,* P. Sarin, in collaboration with V. L. Snoeyink, Civil and Environmental Engineering
American Water Works Association Research Foundation

This project involves understanding the effect of corrosion scales on water quality. The cast iron and steel pipes from the Northern Illinois Water Corporation as well as pipes from on-campus locations have been assembled into a Pilot Corrosion Tester system. Corrosion scale analysis is performed using SEM, EDAX, and the x-ray diffraction techniques. Both surface and cross-sectional analyses are done on the scales which are first dried and then removed from the pipe surface. The quantitative and qualitative elemental and the phase composition information obtained is then interfaced with the results from the iron uptake studies carried out at the pilot testing experiment in an effort to understand the underlying mechanisms.