Corrosion Problem in Geothermal Power Plants

Corrosion of steel materials and structures is one of the major problems in Geothermal Power Plants due to the contamination of Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) in the atmosphere. H2S is one of the gasses emitted by a geothermal steam resource. Hydrogen Sulfide when combined with water will produce sulfuric acid which is very corrosive to metals. H2S emitted by geothermal plants is normally below 10%, however, this figure is already significant to cause a corrosion problem in the power plant equipment and structures. Proper corrosion prevention activities like zinc coating, and painting are required avoid steel corrosion in the Plant. Creating a Positive Pressure Units (PPU) and air filtering are usually practiced to avoid the intrusion of H2S inside the power house and control rooms.

Posted in Power Plants

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