RHRC INTRODUCES EXTRA CORROSION RESISTANT VERSIONS OF RESEARCH WATER TUNNELS

February 1, 2010 - Rolling Hills Research Corporation is pleased to introduce the latest improvement to its line of research water tunnels: even greater resistance to corrosion.  All RHRC water tunnels have long used fiberglass, plastic, and stainless steel components to ensure long, trouble-free lives.  Recently, we began to get requests for water tunnels that could use salt water as the working fluid.  We quickly found out what yachtsmen and marine biologists have always known: salt water is extremely corrosive, even to stainless steel.  As a result, we have gone through the entire tunnel circuit and eliminated as much metal as possible.  The original inlet and exit baffles were made of welded stainless steel, but are now made of perforated PVC.  Likewise, the flow conditioners and frames were originally made of stainless steel, but now PVC and plastic fasteners are used throughout the design.  The most corrosion prone component of the circuit was the main pump. Although a sturdy epoxy based sealant was used on the interior of the pump, scratches or voids could still potentially lead to problems when using salt water.  To eliminate the metal in the pump, an all new plastic body pump is utilized, which has a 316 stainless steel drive shaft as the only exposed metal.  Even the impeller is now made of molded plastic.

The result is a water tunnel configuration with superior corrosion resistance.

We currently offer extra corrosion resistant versions of both our Model 1520 and Model 2436 Research Water Tunnels.  If you would like more information about our latest water tunnel designs, or would like to discuss your specific application, please contact us at:

Rolling Hills Research Corporation

420 N. Nash Street

El Segundo, CA 90245 USA

Voice: (310) 640-8781

Fax: (310) 640-0031

E-mail: