Influencing factors to the friction charging in water delivery metal pipeline

Abstract Electrochemical reaction is the major influencing factor to the metal pipe corrosion, and the extra electric charge generated in the metal by the friction of the metal pipe with water flow will affect the electrochemical reaction and the corrosion process of the metal pipe. The effects of the kinds of water, the water flow rates and the installing of an electric charge trapper on the electric charge are investigated by measuring the current and voltage generated in the test pipe. The research results show that when using the deionized water as the test water, the current increases and the voltage decreases with the rising of the flow rate; the voltage generated in the case of using the city water has a different change from that of using the deionized water, it is smaller than that of using the deionized water with keeping it in static state, and then increases with the rising of the flow rate; however, with the increasing of the flow rate, the voltages generated in both cases of using deionized water and city water are close to a same value; the voltage generated in the case of installing the electric charge trapper is smaller than that of without the electric charge trapper. It is because that some electric charge in the water flow are caught by the electric charge trapper and then transported to the metal to neutralize an equal amounts of electric charge.