Resumo:
The concepts of iron bacteria and sulfate-reducing bacteria are unknown to most professionals
in the generation area of hydroelectric plants, but their corrosive attack is recurrent in dozens
of plants. The consequences of this type of corrosion affect the useful life of the equipment,
causing failures or maintenance stops with interruption of energy generation. This
professional master’s research aims to investigate this type of biocorrosion, its attack on the
different types of metals used in hydromechanical components, mitigation methods and
chemical control in the cooling water system. To assess corrosion, different metallic
specimens were installed in the Serra da Mesa and Cana Brava reservoirs, on the Tocantins
River, with periodic measurements of individual mass loss. From this research it was found
that the degree of corrosion is directly influenced by the depth of the water and a hypothesis
of the influence of the original soil of the reservoir on the proliferation of iron bacteria was
elaborated. In conclusion using surface water is the best solution with minimal environmental
impact in the control of biocorrosion in hydroelectric power plants.
