Water Treatment Investigations

Water is the lifeblood of industry [ultimate, low cost heat transfer fluid]. It provides process cooling, hot water or steam, fire protection and potable water for human health and well-being. But water is also a medium for corrosion, solids deposition and microbiological growth; it is these three that lead to many material failures.

The investigation of failures can be very complex, and usually requires multidisciplinary testing and analysis to determine the root cause of failure. The end determination must be made with a high degree of certainty to ensure that proper replacement materials are selected and that the most effective corrosion control methods are used. Experience is surely the most important ingredient to look for when choosing a materials firm to handle your corrosion control and failure analysis needs.

Matco Services has distinguished itself by providing its clients professional unbiased advice and expertise in water management projects for industrial, institutional, commercial and municipal systems.

Pretreatment conditioning involves the removal or reduction of undesirable characteristics of raw water. The major processes can include clarification, filtration, hardness reduction, ion exchange, and membrane systems. Whether the resultant water is municipal water for potable use or industrial process water, Matco Services has experience in chemical treatment philosophies and operational challenges.

Open cooling systems utilize evaporative cooling which leads to increases in dissolved solids. This increases risks of corrosion, scaling and fouling.  Biological problems often plague open systems unless properly cared for. All these reduce cooling efficiency, cause unscheduled shut-down, loss of production and expensive equipment repair.

Closed cooling water systems are not as susceptible to scale and deposit formation but are prone to both corrosion and biological problems. These can cause reduction in heat transfer, loss of engine efficiency, plugging of small orifice heat transfer tubing, and system failure.

Boiler water [steam generation] systems provide steam for myriad processes, such as power generation, driving engines or turbines, HVAC heating, and process heating. Water chemistry must be controlled to prevent scale buildup on boiler tubes, and inhibit corrosion of boiler internals, turbines and condensate return lines.

At Matco Services, we specialize in conducting water treatment analysis, corrosion testing and failure analysis investigations. This requires not only a laboratory that features state of the art equipment, but an extensively trained multidisciplinary professional staff as well. The Corrosion Testing and Water Treatment Laboratory, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been in existence since 1993 and is one of the premier corrosion testing and failure analysis organizations in the North America.

Technical Consulting Services:

• Technical audits
• Bid evaluation on water treatment chemicals
• Determination of the best available treatment chemistries for open and closed cooling water systems, boiler water chemistry, fire water protection systems, potable water, reverse osmosis, etc.
• Appropriate monitoring techniques and results interpretation
• Evaluation of causes of corrosive attack, scale and deposit formation occurring in the system, and recommendation of appropriate action
• Operator training
• Seminars on various aspects of water treatment

The above list is not all-inclusive. Matco Services can provide additional services for specific projects in a variety of industries that are designed specifically to address your water treatment and corrosion concerns.

Laboratory and Analytical Support :

• Analysis of boiler, cooling and other plant process water samples
• Laboratory studies for treatment optimization
• Failure analysis
• Corrosion investigation
• Scale and deposit control
• Electrochemical studies
• Metallurgical examination

Above, a corrosion pit on Type 316 stainless steel due to chloride contamination of water system.

The investigation of corrosion failures can be very complex, and usually requires multidisciplinary testing and analysis to determine the root cause of failure. The end determination must be able to be made with a high degree of certainty to ensure that proper replacement materials are selected and that the most effective corrosion control methods are used. Experience is surely the most important ingredient to look for when choosing a materials firm to handle your corrosion control and failure analysis needs.

Matco Services has distinguished itself by providing its clients professional unbiased advice and expertise in water management projects for industrial, institutional, commercial and municipal systems.

Specialists in Corrosion Engineering, Water Treatment & Failure Analysis

Experienced PE, PhD Scientists, NACE Certified in Corrosion, Coating, Design , Materials Selection & Cathodic Protection Specialists who will solve your corrosion problems at both initial design stages and in service. We have been providing corrosion engineering services for over 3000 clients.

• Corrosion Engineering and Water Treatment
• Corrosion Evaluation, life expectancy determination and cathodic protection
• Corrosion mapping, detection of "Hot Spots",
• Explosions/Fire Investigation forensic engineering
• Electrochemical EIS , DC and AC Testing - Determination of corrosion protection criteria for non-ferrous alloys and stainless steels
• On-site Evaluation of tanks and corrosion mitigation by protective coatings and internal or external Cathodic Protection
• Corrosivity determination of water and determination of corrosion mitigation techniques
• On-site coating evaluation and selection of coatings for specific corrosive environments by EIS technique