Metal finishers helping each other -- No cost, No registration, No damn popups
(we earn from 'affiliate link' purchases, making the site possible)

Home /
T.O.C.
Fun
FAQs
Good
Books
Ref.
Libr.
Adver-
tise
Help
Wanted
Current
Q&A's
Site 🔍
Search
ted_yosem
Curated with aloha by
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
finishing.com -- The Home Page of the Finishing Industry

  The authoritative public forum
  for Metal Finishing 1989-2025
  mfhotline


  Thread 286/30

High purity DI water compatibility with Stainless Steel




Q. Hi,

I have read conflicting opinions on this matter. I am trying to find out if very high purity DI water as used in the semiconductor industry can cause corrosion or metal leaching problems with stainless steel. If so are there any high grade s.s. available that can resist corrosion ? If not, would some kind of polymer coatings (Teflon, PFA) help ? The DI water is contained in stainless steel container, heated and passed through stainless steel tubing.

Thanks.

Kailash Patalay
Semiconductors - Santa Clara, California
2004
publicly reply to Kailash Patalay


simultaneous replies

A. Stainless steel is often used for pumps and heat exchangers for Types E-III and E-IV DI water (up to about 12 Meg-Ohm-cm). For 17-18 Meg-ohm-cm water, it is OK to use passivated or electropolished stainless steel as long as there is a tank of mixed bed ion exchange resin after the stainless to remove any dissolved metals.

The corrosion rate of stainless steel by ultra-high purity DI water is very low, so there is no concern with the life of the stainless steel. However, if you are concerned about parts per billion concentrations of metals in the water,you should not use stainless steel.

Lyle Kirman
consultant - Cleveland Heights, Ohio
2004
publicly reply to Lyle Kirman

A. Your worry is normally not the extent of the attack of the DI on the SS, but the amount of the SS that dissolves into the DI and spoils it for the intended use. For high grade DI, Teflon is the only answer.

James Watts
- Navarre, Florida
2004
publicly reply to James Watts

A. DI water penetrates (316L & 304) SS with a rate of up to 20 mil/yr. For best results use 316L that is electropolished and passivated. However, this would not prevent ions leaching from S.S. Heat makes things worse.

Q. I would like to know or obtain a references about the rate and type of ions leaching from 316L S.S. specially at elevated temperature.

Al Badakhshan
- Los Angeles, California
2005
publicly reply to Al Badakhshan


Q. I have a pump that has some 17-4 Stainless Steel parts in it. We will be pumping Deionized water and have some concerns regarding the compatibility of the 17-4 Stainless Steel and the DI water.

Greg E Olson
- Minneapolis, Minnesota
2006
publicly reply to Greg E Olson


Q. Hi
I have to ask about chemical compatibility of stainless steel 316L, and how long was 316 SS standing with specific chemical solution e.g halide solution and acidic solution.
What is pH and concentration and time?

regards,

Eldaw Omar Mohammed Abdallah
medicare - Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia
2006
publicly reply to Eldaw Omar Mohammed Abdallah

A. I found the following older article that addresses various materials and how they react to semiconductor grade pure water.

PURE MATERIALS - Water Quality and Materials of Construction: A water chemist's approach.
By Samuel J. Pengelly
ULTRAPURE WATER, May/June 1987
Pgs. 24 -32

The article references the trend to PVDF as the material of choice in semiconductor (this trend has already occurred).

Jorge Ramirez
- Los Angeles, California
January 12, 2010
publicly reply to Jorge Ramirez

A. Why not use PTFE or PVDF components instead of stainless steel? That's the way to circumvent the problem entirely.

H. MacPhee
- Rijswijk, South Holland, the Netherlands
July 16, 2018
publicly reply to H. MacPhee



(No "dead threads" here! If this page isn't currently on the Hotline your Q, A, or Comment will restore it)

Q, A, or Comment on THIS thread -or- Start a NEW Thread

Disclaimer: It's not possible to fully diagnose a finishing problem or the hazards of an operation via these pages. All information presented is for general reference and does not represent a professional opinion nor the policy of an author's employer. The internet is largely anonymous & unvetted; some names may be fictitious and some recommendations might be harmful.

If you are seeking a product or service related to metal finishing, please check these Directories:

Finishing
Jobshops
Capital
Equipment
Chemicals &
Consumables
Consult'g,
& Software


About/Contact  -  Privacy Policy  -  ©1995-2025 finishing.com, Pine Beach, New Jersey, USA  -  about "affil links"