Proper Passivation of Stainless Steel Equipment
Proper passivation of stainless steel equipment is very important. Stainless Steel gets it proctection from an oxide type coating that can be created naturally, if the item in question is left undisturbed and in the right environment for the correct amount of time. Most industrial users do not have the luxury of time nor the ability to store the equipment correctly in order to achieve natural passivation. The type of stainless steel and the equipment design also determine how long this will take. An alternative to natural passivation is to passivate the product using an ASTM approved process. One such process employs the use of a Nitric Acid solution. Proper passivation can extend the life of a tank by many years.