Current status of stainless steel for use in marine applications

In most North American fresh water, clean stainless steel resists corrosive attack. In fresh water condenser tubing, there are very few reports of failures; most of these being found preventable upon investigation. At levels under 1,000 ppm chlorides, 18-8 Type 304 is used. In sea water, at higher chloride concentrations and temperatures, more alloy content is required; here, 316 has given excellent service in many applications, although cleaning is sometimes required to prevent fouling and crevice attack. In their respective applications, stainless steels have a proven successful application record.