Investigation of Sediments Causing Damage to Water Meters in a Large Drinking Water Distribution System
M. Kopeća, M. Roman a, M. Kąc a, A. Budziak a, C. Paluszkiewicz a, A. Zarzycki a, S. Kąc b, E. Dutkiewicz a, T. Cichoń c, T. Bochnia c and W.M. Kwiatek a
aInstitute of Nuclear Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, PL-31342 Krakow, Poland
bAGH University of Science and Technology, PL-30059 Krakow, Poland
cMunicipal Water Supply and Sewage in Krakow, PL-30106 Krakow, Poland
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Preliminary studies on the sediments collected from water meters of Krakow water supply system were performed in the cooperation with the Municipal Water Supply and Sewage. Creation and deposition of sediments on the measuring devices installed in the water supply system is a serious technological and economical problem for water companies, defectively operating for this reason water meters must be replaced. It is evident that knowledge of the chemical and phase composition of sediments is an important step towards resolving the problem of impurities in water supply systems. Four different samples of sediments, coming from water meters, were investigated using the proton-induced X-ray emission, the X-ray diffraction, the Fourier transform: infrared and Raman spectroscopy. The X-ray methods revealed presence of amorphous and fine-crystalline phases as well as high content of iron-based compounds. As a crystalline phase, the most frequently appeared: goethite, lepidocrocite, iron oxides (hematite, maghemite, magnetite), calcium carbonate, and quartz. In one of the samples, the nanocrystalline phase was found and identified as hydrous iron oxyhydroxide ferrihydrite. Vibrational spectroscopy methods confirmed the composition of crystalline phases as well as enabled to estimate the abundance of amorphous phase in samples.

DOI: 10.12693/APhysPolA.133.267
PACS numbers: 89.60.-k, 78.70.En, 61.05.cp, 82.80.-d, 82.80.Gk