Effect of Zinc Addition in Filler Metal on Sacrificial Anode Cathodic Protection of Fin-Tube Aluminum Heat Exchanger

Abstract

: This study investigated the tri-metallic galvanic coupling of different metals in the tubes, fillers, and fins of a heat exchanger. The goal was to prevent corrosion of the tubes using the fin as a sacrificial anode while ensuring that the filler metal has a more noble potential than the fin, to avoid detachment. The metals were arranged in descending order of corrosion potential, with the noblest potential assigned to the tube, followed by the filler metal and the fin. To address a reduction in protection current of the fin, the filler metal was modified by adding Zn to decrease its corrosion potential. However, increasing the Zn content of filler metal also increases its corrosion current. The study examined three different filler metals, considering their corrosion potential, and kinetics. The results suggest that a filler metal with 1.5 wt.% Zn addition is optimal for providing cathodic protection to the tube while reducing the reaction rate of the sacrificial anode.