Influence of CO2 inleakage on the slight-alkalization of generator internal cooling water

The slight-alkalization of generator internal cooling water (GICW) is widely used to inhibit the corrosion of hollow copper conductor and thereby ensure the safe operation of the generator. CO2 inleakage is increasingly identified as a potential security risk for GICW system. In this paper, the influence of CO2 inleakage on the slight-alkalization of GICW was theoretically discussed. Based on the equilibriums of the CO2-NaOH-H2O system, CO2 inleakage saturation was derived to quantify the amount of the dissolved CO2 in GICW. This parameter can be directly calculated with the measured conductivity and the [Na+] of GICW. The influence of CO2 inleakage on the slight-alkalization conditioning of GICW and the measurement of its water quality parameters were then analyzed. The more severe the inleakage, the narrower the water quality operation ranges of GICW, resulting in the more difficult the slight-alkalization conditioning of GICW. The temperature calibrations of the conductivity and the pH value of GICW show non-linear correlations with the amount of CO2 inleakage and the NaOH dosage. This study provides insights into the influence of CO2 inleakage on the slight-alkalization of GICW, which can serve as the theoretical basis for the actual slight-alkalization when CO2 inleakage occurs.