Failure analysis of welded type 304 in cooling water pipeline of district heating system

Failure analysis on the welded type 304 pipe used for cooling water piping in the district heating primary side was conducted. Inorganic elements and bacteria in the cooling water and in corrosion products were analyzed, and the weldment was inspected by microscopy and a sensitization test. Corrosion damages were observed in the heat-affected zone, on weld defects such as incomplete fusion or excessive penetration caused by improper welding, or/and at the 6 o'clock position along the pipe axial direction. However, the level of concentration of chloride in the cooling water as low as 80 ppm has been reported to be not enough for even a sensitized type 304 steel, meaning that the additional corrosive factor was required for these corrosion damages. The factor leading to these corrosion damages was drawn to be the metabolisms of the types of bacteria, which is proved by the detection of proton, sulfur containing species, biofilms, and both bacteria and corrosion product analyses.