Flow Accelerated Corrosion in Fossil Fuel Power Plants
What is FAC?
A well-known source of problems in fossil fuel and nuclear powerplants is flow accelerated corrosion, also known as FAC. This kind of corrosion can occur when carbon steel piping and its components become degraded through the presence of steam water or flowing water that has low-dissolved oxygen.
FAC occurs when the normally protective oxide layer on the inside surface of low alloy steel and carbon piping dissolves. De-oxygenated water at elevated temperatures removes the naturally-formed iron oxides on the pipe’s exposed surface.
This thins the pipe wall, which can potentially cause leaks and catastrophic ruptures, negatively impacting both plant reliability and personnel safety.