Transportation of Demineralized Water: Case Study

Demineralized water is corrosive to unprotected carbon steel pipelines. Lined steel pipes are generally used to reduce corrosion in the pipelines. Among the various materials used for lining, the relatively more resistant to aggresive water is cement‐mortar lining. Therefore, cement‐mortar lining of steel pipes and some chemical treatment of demineralized water are generally recommended for long‐distance transportation of demineralized water. But information about the long‐term performance of cement‐mortar‐lined steel pipes carrying demineralized water is scarce in the literature. Two 466‐km long, cement‐mortar‐lined steel pipelines transport demineralized water from the eastern port city of Jubail in Saudi Arabia to the capital, Riyadh. The resistance parameters and surface condition of the cement‐mortar lining when new, and after about four years of use, are investigated under demineralized water flow. The feasibility of transporting water with 20 mg/l total dissolved solid (TDS) content, instead of the water with 40 mg/l TDS content now being transported, without any adverse effects on the system is also investigated.