Titanium vs. Seawater
Titanium is essentially immune to seawater corrosion across all naturally occurring conditions. Its tenacious TiO2 oxide film provides complete protection against chloride-induced pitting, crevice corrosion, and stress corrosion cracking in natural and polluted seawater at temperatures up to at least 500°F. This immunity eliminates the corrosion-related maintenance, inspection, and replacement cycles that make copper-nickel and stainless steel seawater systems expensive to own over their service life. The US Navy has progressively adopted titanium for seawater piping and heat exchangers based on lifecycle cost analyses showing lower total cost of ownership despite higher initial purchase price.
Marine Components
CastAlloy manufactures titanium marine components including seawater cooling system piping, valves, and fittings (CP Grade 2), plate heat exchangers and shell-and-tube heat exchanger components, propulsion system components including shaft sleeves and bearing housings, submarine hull penetration fittings (non-magnetic), ballast system components, and fire main system fittings. CP Grade 2 is the standard grade for seawater service, providing the best combination of corrosion resistance, formability, and cost. Ti-6Al-4V serves structural marine components requiring higher strength.
Procurement and Delivery
CastAlloy supports naval and commercial marine procurement requirements including MIL-spec material certification, DNV, ABS, and Lloyd's survey compatibility, long-lead material planning for large-scale shipbuilding programs, and warehouse stocking for recurring spare part requirements. Contact us for marine titanium component quotations.