Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion, commonly referred to as MIC, is unquestionably

the most serious corrosion threat to a piping system any building or property owner can
face. While it is found in many different piping systems, it is most commonly identified in
open condenser water or process water systems due to the favorable environmental
conditions normally existing. An open condenser water system offers abundant nutrients,
oxygen, sunlight, lower treatment chemical levels, rough interior surface, and low flow areas
to promote the growth of those microorganism that can often lead to MIC contamination.

MIC has the potential to produce extraordinary corrosion rates of 25 mils per year
(MPY) and more - which is sufficient to destroy a piping system in just a few years. Once an
MIC infection is well established, controlling the problem can cost hundreds of thousands of
dollars, and years of specialized cleanings, treatments, and close monitoring.

Many authorities agree that in most cases, MIC can never be completely eliminated from
a piping system, but only suppressed to some tolerable point. For any piping system where
MIC has said to have been eliminated through chemical use, reinfection is likely to occur.
The longer an MIC condition exists, the more damage is caused, the more the system is
weakened, and the more difficult and costly it is to correct - if repairs are even possible. See
Technical Bulletin # C-5 for more about the threat of MIC.


The only treatment used in the control and elimination of MIC is chemical sterilization.
Chlorine is probably the most common and effective sterilizing agent employed, with high
doses required for a certain amount of contact time in order to achieve success. Chlorine is
extremely corrosive to the various pipe metals and elastomers found in most piping systems,
however, and usually requires accepting the trade-off of solving one corrosion problem
against creating another.

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Bromine, chlorine dioxide, hydrogen peroxide and other commonly available and more
cost effective sterilizing agents have all been used to varying success, but often their
effectiveness is dependant upon not their killing properties alone, but in combination with
the conditions established within the piping system itself. Most chemical water treatment
suppliers offer their own proprietary sterilizing agents for treating MIC as well, since most
common alternating biocides are capable of only suppressing bacterial growth, not
eliminating it.

After possibly years of a microbiological corrosion problem, however, a large mass of
organic and inorganic material is likely to exist attached to the pipe surfaces, and especially
in areas of low flow. Packed into dead ends, against closed valve seats, and in the multitude
of remote areas available for debris to settle within a typical open condenser water system,
this material provides its own natural barrier to any chemical cleaning method. Installing a
good water filtration system is mandatory, therefore, once an MIC condition is confirmed.

Effective chemical cleaning then requires a repeated combination of chemical sterilization
followed by chemical cleaning of the resulting dead debris so that the sterilizing agent can
finally penetrate fully into the microbiological mass. The failure to thoroughly expose every
possible extreme within a piping system to the sterilizing agent will unquestionably lead to
reinfection of the piping system.

For larger piping systems having straight run vertical risers, the application of high
pressure water jet cleaning combined with a good sterilizing agent in the water stream can
very dramatically remove thousands of pounds of combined rust and microbiological matter
in relatively short time. The majority of the MIC infection can thereby be eliminated, leaving
a greatly reduced chemical cleaning effort at the smaller piping only. See Technical Bulletin
# M-3 for more information about high pressure water jet cleaning.


Another excellent alternative is the application of the most effective oxidizing agent
known for killing MIC - ozone. Requiring a high initial equipment and installation cost,
ozone cannot be adapted to by a microbiological entity, as can occur with some other
chemical sterilizing compounds. Ozone is generated on site as a gas, and due to its rapid
decomposition and reaction with elements within the water, can literally take weeks for any
ozone residue to propagate throughout the piping system.

In the proper concentration, ozone will eliminate an MIC problem entirely. However,
undersizing of the equipment to reduce costs is a common mistake, resulting in a perceived
failure of the process itself. In many areas of the U.S., carefully controlled ozone is applied as
a single source chemical corrosion and biocide treatment with claimed low corrosion rates.
However, in higher concentrations, it can produce excessive corrosion and pitting against
metal surfaces.

For that reason, a thorough advance evaluation of any sterilizing agent for its corrosion
potential is always recommended prior to use. Careful short term corrosion monitoring of
any chemical cleaning agent is also required.
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Heat, in the form of fire, has been used throughout millennium to safeguard against
infection and disease. Two of the most significant achievements in modern medicine were the
discovery of the microbial world, followed by recognizing the need to sterilize medical
instruments used in medical and surgical procedures.

Sterilization may be accomplished by high temperatures alone, or through the use of"wet
or moist" heat in the form of steam. Dry heat sterilization generally requires higher
temperatures to be effective, and yet may be ineffective at destroying spores and other
resistant biological forms capable of surviving in a dry and desiccated state. A benefit of
steam sterilization is its ability to penetrate into spores and desiccated microorganisms to
produce complete sterilization at lower temperatures. It is also more effective at sterilizing
porous surfaces.

Today, contaminated instruments can be returned to being 100% free of any
microbiological or viral contamination through the standardized practice of "autoclaving."
Autoclaving involves placing any surgical instruments or materials to be sterilized in a steam
sterilizer, otherwise known as an autoclave, for a defined period of time and at a specific
temperature and pressure. Once such requirements are met, all viruses, bacteria, and spores
are guaranteed to have been totally destroyed or rendered inert, and the autoclaved items
suitable again for medical service without any threat of infection.

Standard conditions for autoclaving requires bringing the temperature of the autoclave
vessel to 250 F (121 C), by raising the pressure to 15 PSI. This temperature and pressure
combination must then be held at or above this setting for 20 minutes or more in order to
guarantee complete sterilization.


Recognizing that every piping system is essentially a pressurized vessel capable of
achieving high temperatures, we can apply the same theory of sterilization used in medical
autoclaves to a piping system contaminated by MIC or any microbiological entity. Most
building properties already have such a sterilized condition in their steam services piping.
Sterilizing a condenser water or other open water piping system is therefore a relatively
simple, short term procedure.

For any metal piping system, handling the pressure requirement of 20 PSI is easily
achieved, and does not matter if the pressure is created by water, air, gas, or steam.
Temperatures of 250 F are similarly no limitation to a steel or copper piping system.
Draining of the piping system is mandatory, of course, but with only a short contact time of a
few hours to bring the pipe up to the required temperature for its 20 minute duration,
shutdown time is greatly minimized.

An adequate source of medium pressure steam is typically available to any building or
plant property, and is available at almost negligible cost in comparison to chemical
sterilizing alternatives. Temporary installation of one or more adequately sized steam supply
lines to the piping system will be required, and a professional engineering review of
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proposed plans and procedures is strongly recommended in all cases.

Sterilization of a open circulating loop does require a large amount of advance planning
in order to identify the temperature limitations of any equipment, and the isolation of
vulnerable equipment, components, or sensors, etc. Since condensate will be created as the
steam cools, it is necessary to plan its quick and adequate removal through the temporary
installation of steam traps or drains. Therefore, an accurate piping layout and thorough
knowledge of the piping distribution plan is the very first step in checking feasibility.


We strongly recommend against applying heat sterilization to any Victaulic or gasket
clamped piping systems. Refrigeration machines, or any equipment which would produce an
expansion due to the application of heat should be adequately isolated or blanked off from
the main piping system. Depending upon the size of the piping system and its valving
arrangement, it may be possible to sterilize it section by section, understanding however that
to open any area of non-sterilized pipe to sterilized areas will re-infect the cleaned pipe.

A full walk through survey of the piping system is required in order to identify any
obvious concerns. Open piping at the cooling tower will require valving off, or the
installation of blank plates at the pans and sump in order to sterilize the most extreme limits
of the system. Advance planning and the installation of temporary vents at various extremes
of the system are necessary in order to enable the steam supply to reach the full extent of the
piping and raise the temperature of the pipe sufficiently.

Clearly, smaller piping systems are significantly easier to sterilize than larger systems.
For large piping systems, measuring the surface temperature of the pipe is recommended in
order to ensure that adequate time has passed to allow the mass of the pipe to reach the
required temperature of 250 F. Pressure gauges are typically available throughout a piping
system to monitor pressure.

All valves, future taps, and piping distribution lines not used for the isolation of critical
equipment should be opened in order to maximize the reach of the steam throughout the
system. Various test methods are available that will provide engineers with a clear indication
of whether sterilization at the various points and extremes of the piping system has been
accomplished. Infrared testing is one such method capable of quickly determining the
surface temperature of the pipe.


Once completed, the entire piping system is allowed to thoroughly cool, and chemically
treated fresh water re-introduced. Given the large volume of now dead microbiological
debris, combined with other rust deposits, a standard chemical cleaning should be
immediately performed. A large volume of debris should be expected dependant upon the
degree of microbiological infection and condition of the system, and therefore, multiple
chemical cleanings may be necessary. Any MIC contamination is likely to have removed
substantial pipe metal, which will now exist as a less dense iron oxide combined with the
dead organic material. Spare strainers and a full engineering staff is recommended to handle
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the effects that the debris will have on the operating equipment.

Overall, the application of steam to correct an MIC contamination problem is primarily a
question of thorough preparation and good advance planning. There is no high cost
expenditure for sterilizing chemicals, manpower, and re-treatment inhibitors, and no
chemicals necessary other than those to clean the system of debris once sterilization is
complete. Steam sterilizing costs are mostly in labor and temporary piping. Whereas
chemical sterilization can take months to perform and still not produce the desired result,
steam sterilization is guaranteed to work within a few hours if planned and performed
properly.

Review our disclaimer on any technical information contained within this article.

Copyright







CorrView is the first "pipe fuse" for HVAC systems. Produces a brilliant color change
indicating that a predetermined amount of pipe wall thickness has been lost due to internal
corrosion.

CorrView is a new product designed in response to corrosion problems
recognized in over 22 years of chemical water treatment and ultrasonic pipe
testing experience.

This simple, self-contained, low cost, and maintenance free corrosion
testing device provides every property owner / plant operator an easy and
effective means to realistically measure corrosion activity. Ideally suited for
monitoring condenser water and other HVAC or process piping.

We hope the above Technical Bulletin has been interesting and helpful.
Please feel free to contact CorrView International, LLC at any time to discuss
any particular corrosion, piping, or rust problem or concern.

Operates Under Actual System Conditions
Installed Directly Into The Piping System
More Accurate Than Corrosion Coupons
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Extends Monitoring Coverage
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Low Cost, Easy Installation Extends Use
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