White Paper

Monitoring Corrosion in Water Based

Fire Sprinkler Systems
(July 2013)

Jeffrey Kochelek

July2013

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Corrosion can be defined as the deterioration of metal through chemical
interaction with the surrounding environment. In the simplest chemical
expression, the subject metal gives up electrons to form a metal ion that
generally precipitates as an oxide byproduct. In the case of fire sprinkler
systems, black steel or galvanized steel piping reacts with dissolved oxygen in
thefiresupplywatertoformironorzinchydroxide.Theneteffectismetalloss
fromthepipewall(pit)andinsolubledebrisinthepiping.

AnodicReactions:

FeoFe+2+2eironbecomesawatersolubleion
ZnoZn+2+2ezincbecomesawatersolubleion

CathodicReaction:

O2+H2O+2e 2OHoxygencreatesdemandfore

ElectrochemicalReaction:
Feo+O2+H2OFe(OH)2ironhydroxideprecipitate
Zno+O2+H2OZn(OH)2zinchydroxideprecipitate

Corrosive degradation of fire

sprinkler piping used in water
based fire sprinkler systems is
welldocumented1,2,3,4.Empirical
evidencefromthefieldindicates
that fire sprinkler piping is
particularly vulnerable to weld
seam corrosion5. From a life
safety and fire loss standpoint,
riskincreaseswheninsolubleby
product from the corrosion
reactionaccumulateswithinthefiresprinklerpiping.Notonlycanthecorrosion
debris affect the hydraulic performance of the system design, it can also plug
dropsandsprinklers.However,theproblemscausedbywaterdamagedueto
pinholeleaksthatresultfromoxygencorrosionmayposethemostimmediate
financialriskforapropertyowner.

FireSprinklerSystemCorrosionRisks
Pluggingofsprinklerpiping
Pluggingofsprinklers
Reducedhydraulicperformance
Waterleaks
Reducedservicelife
Repaircosts
Businessinterruption

One of the systemic problems with corrosion in

fire sprinkler systems is that the systems

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themselvestendtofallintothecategoryofoutof
sight, out of mind. After they are installed,
property owners, business managers and fire
personnel alike hope that they will never be
needed or deployed. Unfortunately, corrosion
continues within the fire sprinkler system piping
even though the external manifestations of the
corrosion activity may remain hidden for years.
Everytimeanaircompressoroperatestomaintain
the pressure in a dry pipe sprinkler system warm,
moist oxygen is added to the internal piping
environment. Similarly, every time a wet pipe
systemisdrainedandfilled,freshoxygenintheair
is added and trapped somewhere within the piping network to reignite the
corrosionreaction.

Giventhenatureofcorrosioninthesesystemsandtheinsidiousdamagethatis
beingdone,waitingfortheinevitablefirstleakmaybethemostriskyapproach.
Thefirstleakmaycreateaverysignificantfinancialloss.

CorrosionManagementStrategy

Developing a strategy for managing corrosion in any industrial application

involvesthefollowingfivesteps:
1. Rootcausedeterminationwhatistheactivecorrosionmechanism?
2. Assessmentofcorrosiondamageremediation,repairorreplacement
ofdamagedequipment(locationandseverityofcorrosion)
3. Implementation of corrosion management plan installation of
corrosioncontrolequipmentandmonitoringdevices
4. Equipment inspection and maintenance routine inspection of
corrosioncontrolequipmentandpreventativemaintenance
5. Ongoing monitoring of corrosion insitu early warning system to
detectelevatedcorrosionrates

If a plan is to be implemented to reduce corrosion related risk, it follows that

theremustbeamechanismtogaugetheeffectivenessoftheplanthathasbeen
deployed.Themoresignificantthecorrosionrelatedrisk,themoreimportant
the corrosion monitoring. It would not be prudent to implement a corrosion
controlplanwithoutanaccurateearlywarningsystemtoverifythateverything
is under control. The discussion presented here will concern itself specifically
withmonitoringcorrosionwithinthefiresprinklersystempiping.

It should be noted that there are settings where the risks associated with a
corrosionrelatedfailureinthefiresprinklerpipingaremuchhigherthanother
settings. For example, monitoring corrosion in a preaction sprinkler system
protectingamissioncriticaldatacenterwouldcertainlybemoreimportantthan
monitoringcorrosioninadrypipesprinklersysteminaparkingstructure.But
the bottom line is that corrosion related leaks in fire sprinkler piping create

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financial risk whether they are in a wet pipe sprinkler system protecting a
pharmaceuticalwarehouseorinaretailsettingatahomeimprovementcenter.

MonitoringCorrosion

Corrosionmonitoringisaveryimportantelementinacomprehensivecorrosion
management strategy for water based fire sprinkler systems. An effective
corrosion monitoring program should provide evidence that the corrosion
controlprogramisworkingtopreventmetaldegradation.Itshouldalsoprovide
early warning for elevated corrosion activity so that steps can be taken to
return the system to a state of corrosion control before damage occurs and a
failureresults.

Inanycorrosiveenvironmentphysicaldegradationofthemetalcanoccurintwo
differentways.Generalthinningofthemetalacrossbroadareaswhichleadsto
gradual loss of the wall thickness and pitting attack which results in highly
localizedlossofthemetalatspecificpointsonthepipesurface.Pittingattackis
particularlytroublesomebecauseitcanleadtoprematurebreachesinthepipe
wallinanotherwisemoderatelydamagedsurface.Mostleaksinfiresprinkler
systempipingoccurbecauseofpittingcorrosion.

Therearethreedirecteffectsofthecorrosionprocessthatcanbemeasuredto
provideanindicationofthecorrosionrate:
1. Electronsflowoutfromthemetalthatisbeingcorroded
2. A void (pit) is created at the metal surface where the corrosion event
hasoccurred
3. Ametalbyproduct(oxidesalt)isproducedfromthecorrosionevent

Corrosion monitoring methodologies take advantage of one or more of these

corrosioneffects:
1. Measureandrecordtheelectronflow(current)
2. Measurethedamagethathasoccurredatthemetalsurface(pittingand
wallthinning)
3. Measuretheaccumulationofcorrosionbyproduct

Corrosionmonitoringcanbeinstantaneousortimeaveraged:

Instantaneous corrosion monitoring generally measures current flow

for a sample of the subject metal within the exposed corrosive
environment.Measuringthepresenceorabsenceofthecorrosivegas
within the system is also an instantaneous method. The benefit of
instantaneouscorrosionmonitoringisthatitcanproviderealtimedata
regarding the actual corrosion conditions at any point in time. If
corrosion rates vary with operating conditions, instantaneous
monitoring can identify time intervals when corrosion rates are at
maximumandminimumlevels.
Timeaveraged corrosion monitoring exposes a sample of the subject
metalandmeasuresthemetallossoveragivenexposureperiod.Time

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averaged corrosion monitoring can also analyze damage that has
occurredinthepipingitselfovertime.Theweaknessoftimeaveraged
corrosion monitoring is that it cannot differentiate time intervals
(events)whenthecorrosionrateiselevated.

Corrosionmonitoringcanbedirectorindirect:

Directcorrosionmonitoringmeasuresthedirectimpactofcorrosionon
the subject metal insitu as it is exposed to the actual corrosive
environment.
Indirectcorrosionmonitoringmeasurestheproductionofcorrosionby
product (e.g. hydrogen gas, metal ions or byproduct) and uses the
resultstoprovidesomecorrelationtothecorrosionactivitywithinthe
system.

CorrosionMonitoringinFireSprinklerSystems

Onecomplicatingfactorassociatedwiththecorrosionreactioninfiresprinkler
systemsisthatcorrosionratesvarygreatlythroughoutthepipingsystem.For
example,inwetpipesprinklersystemsthecorrosionratewillbegreatestatthe
pointthatisproximatetoanytrappedairwithinthesystempiping.Asoxygen
in the air dissolves into the water it immediately reacts with the first steel it
contacts to form iron oxide. So the air/water interface represents the most
active corrosion site within these systems. At fluid packed points within the
pipingsystemthataremoreremovedfromthetrappedaircorrosionrateswill
be quite low. In general, the rate of corrosion is directly proportional to the
amountofoxygenthatisintroducedandavailable.

In dry pipe sprinkler systems the corrosion rates will be highest at locations
where water has pooled within the piping. In dry pipe systems there is an
excess of oxygen for the small amount of pipe surfaced that is covered with
trapped water. In areas within the dry pipe network that remain dry, the
corrosionrateswillbeessentiallyzero.Otherfactorsthatincreasetherateof
corrosionincludetemperature,solidsandoperatingpressure.

Given the localized nature of oxygen corrosion in fire sprinkler systems,

placement of corrosion monitoring device is very important. Improper
placementmayleadtoreadingsthatdonotreflectthehighestriskforcorrosion
failure within the system. In general, the closer the monitoring device can be
placedtothehighlyactivecorrodingsites,thebetter.

NFPA13CorrosionMonitoringRequirements

The 2013 edition of the NFPA 13 Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler
Systems discusses the use of corrosion monitoring in conjunction with the
followingsections:

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24.1.5.1WhereconditionsarefoundthatcontributetoMIC,theowner(s)shall
notify the sprinkler system installer and a plan shall be developed to treat the
systemusingoneofthefollowingmethods:

1. InstallawaterpipethatwillnotbeaffectedbytheMICmicrobes
2. Treatallwaterthatentersthesystemusinganapprovedbiocide
3. Implementanapprovedplanformonitoringtheinteriorconditionofthe
pipeatestablishedtimeintervalsandlocations
4. Installcorrosionmonitoringstationandmonitoratestablishedintervals

24.1.5.2 Where conditions are found that contribute to unusual corrosive

properties, the owner(s) shall notify the sprinkler system installer and a plan
shallbedevelopedtotreatthesystemusingoneofthefollowingmethods:

1. Installawaterpipethatiscorrosionresistant
2. Treat all water that enters the system using an approved corrosion
inhibitor
3. Implementanapprovedplanformonitoringtheinteriorconditionofthe
pipeatestablishedtimeintervalsandlocations
4. Installcorrosionmonitoringstationandmonitoratestablishedintervals

RiserMountedCorrosionMonitoringStation

The most common type of timeaveraged,

direct corrosion monitoring is the use of
corrosion coupons. In this technique, pre
weighed samples of the subject metal are
inserted into the corrosive environment and
exposed for a measured period of time. The
weightlossrelativetotheinitialweightisused
todeterminethelevelofcorrosionactivity.In
order to accurately reflect the corrosion
withinthesystem,itisveryimportantthatthe
metalcouponsmatchthepipingmaterialand
that they be installed at a location where
corrosionismostactive.

In many industrial process applications it is common to insert removable

corrosioncouponsatapointwithinthesystempipingwheretheycanbeeasily
removedforinspection.Couponplacementwithinfiresprinklersystempiping
is restricted because the coupons within the path of water flow can create an
obstruction.Asaresult,withinthefiresprinklerindustrycorrosionmonitoring
stations have been installed on the fire sprinkler riser to mimic the conditions
withinthefiresprinklersystempiping.Tosimulatewetpipesprinklersystemsa
trappedairpocketiscreatedwithinthestation.Tosimulatedrypipesprinkler
systems a pool of trapped water is created within the station. Corrosion
couponsareinstalledinthestationstomeasuretheeffectofoxygencorrosion
onthesubjectmetal.Additionally,athinwalledprobecanbeusedtoprovide

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an early warning signal through the use of an attached pressure switch.
Although the approach has limitations, to this point it has been the most
commoncorrosionmonitoringtechniqueinthefiresprinklerindustry.

Concerns:
Corrosionmonitoringstationmaynotseethesameenvironmentasthe
actual fire sprinkler system piping temperature, solids, water flow
duringtestingofthesystem
The volume of oxygen per exposed unit of metal within the system
piping may be significantly higher than the amount that is present
withinthecorrosionmonitoringstation
Corrosion coupons are not completely representative of the interior
surfaces of the fire sprinkler system piping itself lack of weld seam,
solidsbuildup
Coupons do not provide an early warning signal data regarding the
corrosion rate is only available when the coupons are pulled and
inspected

GasAnalyzer

Gas analyzers can be used as instantaneous, indirect measure of the level of

corrosive gas within the fire sprinkler system piping. With the advent of
nitrogeninertingindrypipefiresprinklersystems,thistechniqueisveryuseful
because it measures the amount of oxygen and assumes that there is a direct
correlation between the amount of oxygen gas that is available and the
instantaneouscorrosionrate.

Concerns:
Oxygensensormayrequirefrequentcalibrationifsubjecttodrift
Unless the gas from the system piping is monitored continuously, the
gas reading only provides instantaneous measure of oxygen
concentrationatthatpointintime
Does not provide actual corrosion (metal loss) data indirect
correlation

InLineCorrosionMonitor

Theidealcorrosionmonitoringdeviceforafiresprinklersystemwouldhavethe
followingattributes:
Can be sized to be installed inline directly within the fire sprinkler
systempipingnetworkatthepointwhereoxygencorrosionisexpected
tobethemostsevere:
o Where air is trapped within the piping in wet pipe sprinkler
systems
o Where water is pooled within the piping in dry (preaction)
sprinklersystems

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Does not create an obstruction risk to the water flow within the fire
sprinklersystempiping
Can provide a 360o interior pipe surface that is identical to the fire
sprinklersystempiping
Can be composed of the same metallurgy as the fire sprinkler system
pipingblacksteelorgalvanizedsteel
Asaninlinedeviceitcanbeexposedtoalloftheenvironmentalfactors
that the system piping sees flow tests, solids, temperature
fluctuations
Providesanearlywarningfailuresignaltoindicatethatthecorrosion
rateisatanunacceptablelevel
Canbeeasilyinstalledandremovedforinspectionpostmorteminthe
eventofafailuresignal

Theinlinecorrosionmonitorshouldbecomprisedofthefollowing:

1. The core component is a piece of fire sprinkler pipe that matches the
systemthatwillbemonitoredinsize,scheduleandcomposition(figure
1).
2. Aportionofthepipeismilleddownfromtheoutsidetocreateathin
walledsectionatthecenterofthepipe(figure2).
3. Asecondaryhousingisweldedoverthethinwalledsectionofthepipe
tocreateapressurechamber(figure3).
4. A pressure switch is attached to the pressure chamber to provide a
detectionresponseintheeventthatthethinwalledsectionisbreached
bytheactionofcorrosion(figure4).
5. The ends of the pipe section are roll grooved for easy installation into
thefiresprinklersystempipingnetwork.
6. The pressure switch signal is connected to the building management
systemortothefirealarmpanelasasupervisorysignal.

Figure2

Figure1

Figure3

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Figure4

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Measuringtheeffectivenessofanycorrosioncontrolprogramthroughongoing
monitoring of the protected system is essential. The unique attributes of wet
pipe and dry pipe fire sprinkler systems means that the corrosion monitoring
program must provide early warning and not affect the effective operation of
thefiresprinklersystemitself.Theinlinecorrosionmonitordesigndescribed
abovemeetsthosecriteria.

References

1
UnderDepositCorrosionatWeldSeamsinCarbonSteelPiping,AndrewG.
Howell,NACEInternationalCorrosion97.
2

MICisNOTthePrimaryCauseofCorrosionInFireSprinklerSystems,Jeffrey
T.Kochelek,SprinklerAgeMagazine,October2009

GalvanizedSteelPipinginDryandPreactionSystemsSixReasonsWhyit
Should NOT Be Used, Lucas Kirn and Jeffrey T. Kochelek, Sprinkler Age
Magazine,MayJune2011

Steel Piping Material Corrosion Dry and PreAction Fire Protection

Systems,PaulSuandDavidB.Fuller,SprinklerAgeMagazine,February2013
5

Evidence from Failed Sprinkler Pipe Analysis done by St. Louis Testing
Laboratories on field samples from operating fire sprinkler systems source
EngineeredCorrosionSolutions,LLC

www.ecscorrosion.com

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EngineeredCorrosionSolutions,LLCisacorrosionmanagementconsulting
firm that offers assessment and system analysis coupled with design
services and a full suite of corrosion management strategies that include
equipmentandintegrateddevicesforcontrollingcorrosioninwaterbased
wet,dryandpreactionfiresprinklersystems.Weunderstandthescienceof
corrosioninfiresprinklersystemsinacompletevarietyofdifferentsettings
fromparkingstructurestowarehousestocleanroomstodatacenters.
Engineered Corrosion Solutions, LLC offers proprietary nitrogen inerting
technology which includes the ECS Protector Nitrogen Generator, Pre
engineered Skid Mounted Nitrogen Generator, SMART Manifold, SMART
Vent for dry and preaction fire sprinkler systems, and new proprietary
nitrogeninertingtechnologyforwetpipefiresprinklersystems.
For complete information about the entire line of corrosion management
productsandservicespleasecontactusatEngineeredCorrosionSolutions,
LLC, 2043 Woodland Parkway, Suite 301, St. Louis, MO 63146, (314) 432
1377orvisitwww.ecscorrosion.com.

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