Pipeline corrosion failure in an absorption chiller

Absorption chillers generate chilled water by employing as refrigerant water which is evaporated at low pressure. The steam produced is then absorbed by a concentrated LiBr solution. The materials employed for the construction of this kind of plant are usually copper and stainless steel. Despite their good corrosion resistance, the environment rich of halogen ions can lead in some cases to severe corrosion attacks. This paper describes a complex case of corrosion that produced the failure of an absorption chiller pipelines. The failure involved in different steps both copper and stainless steel pipes.