Comparison of corrosion behavior of Ni, Cu and 70/30 Ni-Cu alloy together with that of carbon steel in seawater has been investigated. Characteristics such as morphological changes and composition of corrosion products have been studied comparatively by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and X-Ray diffraction (XRD). It was found that both the protective properties and adherence of the film, formed on the surface depend on the nature of the substrate and the environment composition. Corrosion mechanisms for all the studied materials were suggested based on the surface analyses. The results show that the chloride content is the controlling factor in corrosion of both carbon steel and copper in seawater, while sulphur content is the regulating factor for corrosion of nickel and 70/30 Ni-Cu alloy in seawater.

INTRODUCTIONDue to recent developments in membrane technology, the trend in the desalination industry is to use reverse osmosis (RO) for desalting seawater. Brackish water (BW) desalination using membrane technology is also expanding as the salinity of groundwater increases. Selecting an appropriate process to meet specific needs at specific locations is essential though the biggest challenge remains in the capability to successfully operate these plants once installed due to peculiarities of sea and brackish waters in the region ABSTRACTReverse osmosis (RO) is being increasingly utilized throughout the world for desalination due to the latest improvements in RO membrane performance and its reduced cost compared to thermal desalination. In this paper, Different media and chemicals have been used for Iron removal to prevent membrane fouling of groundwater reverse osmosis plant located in Shupramant-Giza. The objective is to present field results of the reverse osmosis plant operation in order to evaluate the reliability of this technology. The operating pressure and pressure drop increased significantly without an increase in the production capacity. Frequent shutdowns of the plant were observed due to severe membrane fouling. The membrane was cleaned with different chemical solutions to dissolve the deposits from the membrane surface. To achieve high cleaning efficiency, the flow rate of desalinated water and total dissolved salts (TDS) were studied.