Method for protecting surfaces against biological macro-fouling
First Claim
1. Method for protecting surfaces (S) which are in contact or come into contact with a water-obtaining medium (M) against biological macro-fouling, wherein S is electrically conducting and such a potential (P) fluctuating over time is applied to S that it inhibits the growth of organisms that live in M and/or propagate therein and which have the tendency to form deposits on S, characterised in that P does not assume values that are higher than the corrosion potential of S in M and the average value of P is lower than the said corrosion potential.
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a method for protecting surfaces (S) which are in contact or come into contact with a water-containing medium (M) against biological macro-fouling, wherein 1) S is electrically conducting and 2) such a potential (P) fluctuating over time is applied to S that it inhibits the growth of organisms that live in M and/or propagate therein and which have the tendency to form deposits on S, characterised in that P does not assume values that are higher than the corrosion potential of S in M and the average value of P is lower than the said corrosion potential. The method according to the invention is particularly suitable for the protection of surfaces S where S comprises: a) internal walls of systems through which (M) is fed, such as cooling system tubes, heat exchangers or fluid transport tubes and associated parts which come into contact with (M); b) internal walls and parts of installations, equipment or storage facilities in which (M) is subjected to specific treatments, such as filter installations, purification installations or reaction vessels; c) external walls of vessels and constructions that are in contact with (M).
20 Citations
10 Claims
- 1. Method for protecting surfaces (S) which are in contact or come into contact with a water-obtaining medium (M) against biological macro-fouling, wherein S is electrically conducting and such a potential (P) fluctuating over time is applied to S that it inhibits the growth of organisms that live in M and/or propagate therein and which have the tendency to form deposits on S, characterised in that P does not assume values that are higher than the corrosion potential of S in M and the average value of P is lower than the said corrosion potential.
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9. Use of a negative potential (P) that fluctuates over time for the protection of electrically conducting surfaces (S) which are in contact or come into contact with a water-containing medium (M), characterised in that P both
a) impedes the growth of organisms that live and/or propagate in M and have the tendency to form deposits on S, and b) counteracts corrosion of S by means of cathodic protection.
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10. Device for the protection of external walls of vessels and/or other constructions that usually come into long-term contact with water, as well as of internal walls of systems through which water is fed, against biological macro-fouling, which device comprises:
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a) an electrically conducting internal or external wall, b) a voltage source that is connected to the internal or external wall and that is able to achieve a reduction in potential of at least 300 mV on the wall within one minute, characterised in that the voltage source is capable of producing a negative polarisation that varies over time on the surface to be protected against macro-fouling.
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Specification