Scale and rust generation in water pipes is a common phenomenon when cast iron water pipes have been used for a long time. A physical water treatment device is known among various means for suppressing rust in a water pipe, and a zinc ionization device for putting zinc metal into a pipe and emitting the zinc cation into water is one of such devices. This research measured the amount of zinc ion generated, which is known to exhibit an effect of inhibiting rust and scale generation in a pipe, and examined the scale and rust inhibition effect of the ionization device installed for ground or building water supply. In the case of distilled water, the concentration of zinc ion increased by circulating water in the ionization device several times, and it was verified to be hundreds of μg/L, and in the case of discharging ground or tap water, it was verified to be tens of μg/L. In addition, a verification pipe was installed to confirm the change inside the pipe before and after installation of the zinc ionization device, and the internal condition of the pipe was observed 3 months to several years after installation. It was confirmed that the corrosion area of the surface of the pipe was no longer increased by installing a corrosion inhibitor, and if the pipe was already filled with corrosion products, the amount of corrosion products gradually decreased every year after installation. The phenomenon of fewer corrosion products could be interpreted as expanding the space in the pipe due to the corrosion product as Fe2O3 adhered to the inner surface of the pipe and turned into a smaller black Fe3O4. In addition, we found that scale such as CaCO3 together in the corrosion by-products gradually decreased with the attachment of the ionization device.
A study on the corrosion inhibition of metals is important in many industrial applications (carbon steel, copper, aluminum, SUS 304, nickel). In this study, we investigated the C-V diagrams related to the surface corrosion of metals. It was observed through the SEM that the surface corrosion state of the various metals had the corrosion potential by the scan rate and the organic inhibitor containing an amine group. We determined to measure cyclic voltammetry using the three-electrode system. The measurement of oxidation and reduction ranged from -1350mV to 1650mV. The scan rate was 50, 100, 150, and 200mV/s. It turned out that the C-V characterization of SUS 304 was irreversible process caused by the oxidation current from the cyclic voltammogram. After adding organic inhibitors, the adsorption film was constituted, and the passive phenomena happened. As a result, it was revealed that the inhibition effect of metal corrosion depends on the molecular interaction, and the interaction has influence on the adsorption complex.