Claims
- 1. A method for inhibiting corrosion of a metallic wall surface of a fluid containment vessel, the metallic wall surface defining at least a portion of an internal fluid containment volume within the vessel, the method comprising:
contacting the wall surface with a aqueous treating fluid comprising at least one dissolved metal silicate for a time sufficient to form on the wall surface a corrosion-inhibiting silicate film; wherein the corrosion-inhibiting film has a thickness of smaller than 1000 angstroms.
- 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the metal silicate comprises sodium silicate.
- 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the sodium silicate includes a molar ratio of SiO2 to Na2O in a range of from 0.2 to 3.75.
- 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the concentration of the metal silicate dissolved in the aqueous treating fluid is no larger than 5,000 parts per million by weight relative to the total weight of the treating fluid.
- 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the concentration of the metal silicate dissolved in the aqueous treating fluid is in a range of 1 part per million to 1000 parts per million by weight relative to the total weight of the treating fluid.
- 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the concentration of the metal silicate in the aqueous treating fluid is smaller than 500 parts per million by weight relative to the total weight of the treating fluid.
- 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the contacting is at ambient temperature.
- 8. The method of claim 1, wherein during the contacting the dissolved silicate reacts with metal exposed at the metallic wall surface to form the silicate film.
- 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the silicate film forms substantially instantaneously upon contact of the treating fluid with the metallic wall.
- 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the silicate film comprises aluminum, oxygen and silicon.
- 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the silicate film is smaller than 500 angstroms.
- 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the silicate film is smaller than 100 angstroms.
- 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the thickness of the silicate film is larger than 10 angstroms.
- 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the silicate film is smaller than 1000 angstroms as determined by x-ray photoelectron spectrographic analysis.
- 15. The method of claim 1, wherein the metallic wall surface is selected from the group consisting of carbon steel, alloy steel, stainless steel, a magnesium alloy and an aluminum alloy.
- 16. The method of claim 1, wherein the metallic wall surface comprises aluminum.
- 17. The method of claim 16, wherein at least a portion of the aluminum in the metallic wall surface is in an alloy comprising aluminum and at least one alloying element selected from the group consisting of copper, manganese, silicon, magnesium, zinc and combinations thereof.
- 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the fluid containment vessel is a tank.
- 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the tank is adapted for use in space launch vehicle to contain, in a fluid state, at least one of a rocket propellant oxidizer and a rocket propellant fuel.
- 20. A method for structural testing a fluid containment vessel having an internal fluid containment volume defined at least in part by a metallic wall surface, the method comprising:
filling at least a portion of the fluid containment volume with a test medium so that the test medium contacts at least a portion of the metallic wall surface; after the filling, applying pressure to the internal fluid volume; and after the applying pressure, examining the containment vessel for leakage from the internal containment volume; wherein the test medium comprises at least one metal silicate dissolved in an aqueous liquid at a concentration of smaller than 5,000 parts per million by weight of the silicate relative to the total weight of the test medium, and while the test medium contacts at least a portion of the wall surface and prior to the applying pressure, at least a portion of the silicate reacts with at least one metal of the metallic wall surface to form a corrosion-inhibiting silicate film on the at least a portion of the metallic wall surface, thereby inhibiting corrosion of the metallic wall surface during the testing.
- 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the thickness of the corrosion inhibiting film is less than 100 angstroms.
- 22. The method of claim 20, wherein the silicate film comprises aluminum, oxygen and silicon.
- 23. The method of claim 20, wherein the concentration of the metal silicate in the test medium is less than 1000 parts per million by weight relative to the total weight of the test medium.
- 24. The method of claim 20, wherein the concentration of the metal silicate in the test medium is greater than 10 parts per million by weight relative to the total weight of the test medium.
- 25. The method of claim 20, wherein the vessel is a tank and the metallic wall surface comprises an aluminum alloy comprising an alloying element selected from the group consisting of copper, manganese, silicon, magnesium, zinc and combinations thereof.
- 26. The method of claim 20, wherein the test medium contacts the metallic wall at ambient temperature.
- 27. The method of claim 20, wherein the test medium remains in contact with the at least a portion of the wall surface for at least one week.
- 28. The method of claim 20, wherein the test medium remains in contact with the at least a portion of the wall surface for at least five weeks.
- 29. A fluid containment vessel comprising:
an internal fluid containment volume defined at least in part by a metallic wall surface; and a silicate film covering at least a portion of the metallic wall surface, the silicate film having a thickness smaller than 1000 angstroms.
- 30. The fluid containment vessel of claim 29, wherein the metallic wall surface is selected from the group consisting of an aluminum alloy, carbon steel, alloy steel, stainless steel, and a magnesium alloy.
- 31. The fluid containment vessel of claim 29, wherein the metallic wall surface comprises an aluminum alloy comprising an alloying element selected from the group consisting of copper, manganese, silicon, magnesium, zinc and combinations thereof.
- 32. The fluid containment vessel of claim 29, wherein the silicate film has a thickness of smaller than 100 angstroms.
- 33. The fluid containment vessel of claim 29, wherein the silicate film has a thickness in a range of from 10 angstroms to 50 angstroms.
- 34. The fluid containment vessel of claim 29, wherein the thickness of the silicate film is as determined by x-ray photoelectron spectrographic analysis.
- 35. The fluid containment vessel of claim 29, wherein the thickness of the silicate film comprises aluminum, oxygen and silicon.
- 36. The fluid containment vessel of claim 31, wherein the fluid containment vessel is a tank and the fluid containment volume is larger than 10,000 gallons.
- 37. The fluid containment vessel of claim 36, wherein the tank is adapted for use with a space launch vehicle to contain at least one of an oxidizer and a fuel for propulsion of the space launch vehicle.
- 38. The fluid containment vessel of claim 37, wherein the metallic wall surface comprises an isogrid pattern.
- 39. A space launch vehicle comprising:
a first tank comprising a first internal fluid containment volume having disposed therein a fuel; a second tank comprising a second internal fluid containment volume having disposed therein an oxidizer reactable in the space launch vehicle with the fuel to propel the space launch vehicle; and wherein at least one of the first internal fluid containment volume and the second internal fluid containment volume is defined at least in part by a metallic wall surface covered with a silicate film having a thickness of no larger than 1000 angstroms.
- 40. The space launch vehicle as claimed in claim 39, wherein the thickness of the silicate film is in a range of 10 angstroms to 100 angstroms.
- 41. The space launch vehicle of claim 39, wherein the silicate film comprises aluminum, oxygen and silicon.
- 42. The space launch vehicle of claim 39, wherein the first tank and the second tank each have a capacity of greater than ten thousand gallons.
- 43. The space launch vehicle of claim 39, wherein the metallic wall surface has an internal isogrid pattern.
- 44. The space launch vehicle of claim 39, wherein the metallic wall surface comprises an aluminum alloy comprising an alloying element selected from the group consisting of copper, manganese, magnesium, silicon, zinc and combinations thereof.
- 45. The space launch vehicle of claim 39, wherein the metallic wall surface is a first metallic wall surface defining at least a portion of the first internal fluid containment volume of the first tank and the silicate film is a first silicate film; and
the second internal fluid containment volume is defined at least in part by a second metallic wall surface covered with a second silicate film having a thickness of no larger than 1000 angstroms.
- 46. The space launch vehicle of claim 39, wherein the oxidizer comprises liquid oxygen.
- 47. The space launch vehicle as claimed in claim 39, wherein the fuel comprises a petroleum distillate.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/757,387, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INHIBITING CORROSION OF METAL CONTAINERS AND COMPONENTS”, filed Jan. 8, 2001, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/289,373, filed Apr. 8, 1999, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Provisional application Ser. No. 60/081,094 filed Apr. 8, 1998, the contents of all of which are incorporated by reference herein as if each were set forth herein in full.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60081094 |
Apr 1998 |
US |
Continuation in Parts (2)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09757387 |
Jan 2001 |
US |
Child |
09839606 |
Apr 2001 |
US |
Parent |
09289373 |
Apr 1999 |
US |
Child |
09757387 |
Jan 2001 |
US |