The Seawater Immersion system is located at the Beachside Atmospheric Exposure site. The system is utilized for the evaluation of protective coatings, metal alloys, reinforced concrete composites and other materials in an ocean environment. This system is composed of two immersion tanks with a continuous once-through, filtered supply of seawater, and has the ability to expose a variety of specimens, including test coupons, component hardware or full scale test articles.

Seawater is pumped directly from the Atlantic Ocean and is representative of surface oceanic conditions. (Natural seawater has been documented as more corrosive than artificial seawater or simple salt solutions.) Specialized tests can be designed to study impingement-corrosion, erosion-corrosion, cathodic protection systems, cavitation and other velocity effects. Both 110 volt power and data acquisition connections are available at the facility to power test articles and record onboard data instrumentation outputs. The water in the tanks is continuously monitored for salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and pH.

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