Metals are subject to corrosion in most chemical environments, for example, metals corrode in contact with water, moisture, acids, bases, salts, oils, gaseous substances and other chemicals. In general, minerals are more corrosive than organic substances. For example, corrosion in the oil, gas and petrochemical industries is often caused by the effects of minerals such as chlorine, sulfur, etc., rather than by organic substances such as oil, petroleum and diesel.

Corrosion inhibitors are additives that control corrosion by altering the metal surface, the environment, or both. Their mode of action is to alter the anodic, cathodic, or both reactions. There are many corrosion inhibitors available with different compositions. Most of these materials have been discovered and refined through experimental testing, and many of them are sold under trade names and their chemical composition is kept secret.

Corrosion is one of the most important problems in the cooling tower and causes cost loss and reduced efficiency of the tower. The presence of various factors in the tower makes it easy for corrosion to occur in the cooling tower. The presence of water as an electrolyte and also the presence of metals of different types in the tower as cathode and anode provides the basis for creating a chemical cell on a large scale.