Long term testing of aluminium and aluminium alloys in Arabian Gulf water

In order to evaluate the suitability of aluminium alloys for engineering applications in Arabian Gulf Water a joint corrosion research program between the University of Petroleum & Minerals (UPM), Dhahran, Saudi Arabia and OFZS, Austria, was initiated in 1978. Considerable interest in aluminium and its alloys, particularly 5000 series, for marine applications has been shown in recent years. Aluminium alloys having low copper and zinc contents and alloys containing Mg have shown good application potentials in marine environments. Recent attempts to improve the corrosion resistance of AI‐Mg alloys by alloy modifications and optimising the corrosion resistance and mechanical properties have met with some success. Several records obtained from OTEC heat exchangers and Aluminium Association desalination plants show promising application potentials of aluminium and certain aluminium alloys. In view of the rapid growth of desalination technology in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia a great demand has been placed on the understanding of the corrosion behaviour of important engineering materials in local environments, and the need for development of alternate materials. A field test rig was therefore built in co‐operation with CFZS, Austria and installed at the UPM (Dhahran, Saudi Arabia) beach in 1978 for long term corrosion testing. This paper describes the results of a joint test program on the corrosion of aluminium and selected aluminium alloys in Arabian Gulf Water obtained from test rig, and laboratory studies.