The chemistry of copper in water and related studies planned at the Advanced Photon Source

Interactions between water and copper are a critical issue at most accelerators. The release rate of copper and oxides in water is affected by several variables: dissolved oxygen concentration, pH, and temperature. Relative corrosion rate, solubility data, and operating regimes are summarized based on previous work by others. Mechanisms for oxide release are discussed, and a means of pH control employing an ion exchange process is described.