Copper-Nickel

The addition of nickel to copper improves strength and corrosion resistance but good ductility is retained. Copper-nickel alloys have excellent resistance to marine corrosion and biofouling.

The two main alloys are 90/10 and 70/30. The 70/30 is stronger and has greater resistance to sea water flow; but the 90/10 will provide good service for most applications and being less expensive tends to be more widely used. Both alloys contain small but important additions of iron and manganese which have been chosen to provide the best combination of resistance to flowing sea water and to overall corrosion.

Copper-nickel alloys are widely used for marine applications due to their excellent resistance to seawater corrosion, high inherent resistance to biofouling and good fabricability. They have provided reliable service for several decades whilst offering effective solutions to todays technological challenges.

Applications

• Sea water pipework
• Offshore fire water systems
• Heat exchangers and condensers
• Sheathing of legs and risers on offshore platforms and boat hulls
• Hydraulic lines
• Fish cages for aquaculture
• Desalination units.

Publications

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Pub 30 Copper-Nickel Alloys, Properties and Applications
Details of the composition and properties of the 90/10 and 70/30 copper-nickel alloys are given, together with examples of their applications. 1982. 22pp.

Pub 31 Copper-Nickel 90/10 and 70/30 Alloys, Technical Data
Physical and mechanical properties of the two most commonly encountered copper-nickel alloy types are presented. 1982. 20pp.

Pub 36 Use of Copper-Nickel Cladding on Ships and Boat Hulls
Description of the use of copper-nickel cladding resistant to corrosion and marine biofouling and its economic advantages. 1985. 12pp.

Pub 37 Copper-Nickel Cladding for Offshore Structures
The cost savings available when copper-nickel cladding is used to prevent corrosion and marine biofouling are significant. This publication details how they can be achieved. 1986. 10pp.

Pub 38 Materials for Seawater Pipeline Systems
Gives reasons for choice of 90/10 copper-nickel alloy in preference to other materials for many applications. 1986. 12pp.

Pub 106 Corrosion Resistance of Copper and Copper Alloys
This large table gives information on the suitability of copper and copper alloys with many different chemicals. Data is given for copper, brass, copper nickel, aluminium bronze and gunmetals at three temperatures: 20^oC, 60^oC and 100^oC . The table shows when specific materials can and cannot be used with the chemicals giving an indication of corrosion resistance. 5pp.

Pub 118 90/10 Copper-Nickel
A four page leaflet highlighting the unique properties of the copper-nickel alloys when used in seawater environments. 1997. 4pp.

Pub 139 Copper-Nickel Fabrication
This publication provides an informed understanding of the two primary copper-nickel alloys to allow good fabrication and good operational practices. Topics covered include general engineering properties of 90/10 and 70/30 copper-nickels, welding and fabrication practices, a basic overview of corrosion and biofouling resisting properties and sources of further information. 1999. 26pp.

Pub 157 Preventing Biofouling with Copper Alloys
Long term protection against biofouling on marine structures and boat hulls can be afforded by copper-nickel in the form of sheet or as a variety of composite products; hence avoiding costly removal of fouling by mechanical means or periodic re-application of anti-fouling paints. 2002. 4pp.

CD8 Copy of Copper-Nickel website www.coppernickel.org
This CD contains a copy of the copper-nickel website (as at January 2005) which discusses the composition, physical and mechanical properties of each alloy, and their suitability to particular applications. Applicable standards (EN, ASTM and ISO) are identified for all product forms, along with thorough information on welding and fabrication.

Copper-Nickel Website
These pages are designed to provide a detailed overview of copper-nickel with data which will allow good practices in design, fabrication and application. Features a narrated interactive overview presentation on Applications and Properties.

D2 Copper-Nickels & Aluminium Bronzes (Datadisk)
This disk contains two completely separate databases describing these two groups of materials that each have significant engineering applications because of their strength combined with excellent corrosion resistance. Each database has a significant textural content describing the key attributes of the alloys and the ways in which they can be selected for use. Compositions and mechanical properties are fully tabulated for each material. The effect of time or temperature on many properties can be viewed either in tables or as graphs. Information is derived from publications Nos.30, 31, 80, 82 and 85. 1991.

Copper and Copper Alloys in Offshore Renewable Energy - Carol Powell and David Chapman, Copper Development Association

This webcast presents an overview of the properties, applications and proven service experience of copper alloys in marine environments and indicates the potential benefits of technology transfer to offshore wind farms and wave and tidal devices.

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