TITLE:
Corrosion in Control Systems Decrease the Lifetime of the Electronic Devices of the Industrial Plants of Mexicali, BC, Mexico
AUTHORS:
Gustavo López Badilla, María Marcela Acosta Gómez, Elizabeth Romero Samaniego, Sandra Luz Toledo Perea, Rodolfo T. G. Garduño, Carlos O. G. Márquez, Juan P. Q. Hinojosa
KEYWORDS:
Corrosion; Electronic Devices; Control Systems; Industrial Plants
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Air Pollution,
Vol.2 No.2,
June
20,
2013
ABSTRACT: The principal factor to determine the economical value of the products manufactured in the electronics industry is due to the productive yielding. This is important for the cost of the articles fabricated in this type of industrial plants installed in Mexicali city, where around 80% of companies are, and which fabricate electronic devices and systems, or have industrial electronic systems and machines to their manufacturing process. Mexicalicity is located in theBaja CaliforniaStateof the northwest ofMexico, which is a border city with Calexico in theCaliforniaStateof the United States of America (USA). The region located in Mexicali, is a desert area. Geothermal plant is located in this area, which is an important industry and supplies electricity to this city and its valleys and some cities on southwest of United States for daily activities. This company emits hydrogen sulfide (H2S) as a main air pollutant that reacts with oxygen in the atmosphere, generating sulfur oxides (SOX). This chemical is dispersed to the city of Mexicali in which industrial plants are located with electronic control systems, and penetrates to indoor rooms. Those cause the corrosion process. The presence of corrosion leads to the deterioration of electrical connectors, the connections of electronic systems and the decreasing of the lifetime of these control systems. Other air pollutants that are considered as chemical agents which cause damage to materials used in the electronics industry, are the sulfurs and nitrogen oxides (NOX), emitted from the traffic vehicle and some industries. This causes the low productive yielding of electrical and electronic devices and systems used in the companies of this city, and is a major concern to specialized people, managers and owners. To analyze the productive yielding of electronic devices and systems installed in indoor of the electronics industry. For this reason, to know the principal causes of it, a study in three industrial plants, to determine the grade level of deterioration of the electronic control systems (ECS) used in the electronics industry of this city was made. The results showed that at major air pollution concentration detected by specialized methods, the lifetime of the ECS was decreased by the generation of corrosion in their electrical connectors and connections. This was caused for the levels of air pollutants mentioned above, than exceed the air quality standards in some periods of the year, added with the levels upper of relative humidity levels (RH) and temperatures of 85% and 25°C in winter and 80% 35°C in summer, being a main factor of this electrochemical phenomenon.