sea or river source is not affected. On the steam (shell) side of the condenser: The concentration of undissolved gases is high over air zone tubes. Therefore, these tubes are exposed to higher corrosion rates. Some times these tubes are affected by stress corrosion cracking, if original stress is not fully relieved during manufacture. To overcome these effects of corrosion some manufacturers provide higher corrosive resistant tubes in this area. Effects of corrosion As the tube ends get corroded there is the possibility of cooling water leakage to the steam side contaminating the condensed steam or condensate, which is harmful to steam generators. The other parts of water boxes may also get affected in the long run requiring repairs or replacements involving long duration shut-downs. Protection from corrosion Cathodic protection is typically employed to overcome this problem. Sacrificial anodes of zinc (being cheapest) plates are mounted at suitable places inside the water boxes. These zinc plates will get corroded first being in the lowest range of anodes. Hence these zinc anodes require periodic inspection and replacement. This involves comparatively less down time. The water boxes made of steel plates are also protected inside by epoxy paint. Effects of tube side fouling As one might expect, with millions of gallons of circulating water flowing through the condenser tubing from seawater or fresh water, anything that is contained within the water flowing through the tubes can ultimately end up on either the condenser tubesheet (discussed previously) or within the tubing itself. Tube-side fouling for surface condensers falls into five main categories; particulate fouling like silt and sediment, biofouling like slime and biofilms, scaling and crystallization such as calcium carbonate, macrofouling which can include anything from zebra mussels that can grow on the tubesheet, to wood or other debris that blocks the tubing, and finally, corrosion products (discussed previously). Depending on the extent of the fouling, the impact can be quite severe on the condenser's ability to condense the exhaust steam coming from the turbine. As fouling builds up within the tubing, an insulating effect is created and the heat-transfer characteristics of the tubes are diminished, often requiring the turbine to be slowed to a point where the condenser can handle the exhaust steam produced. Typically, this can be quite costly to power plants in the form of reduced output, increase fuel consumption and increased CO2 emissions. This "derating" of the turbine to