Corrosion inhibitor compositions comprising tetrahydrobenzotriazoles and other triazoles and methods for using same

1. A method comprising the following steps:

(a) providing a composition comprising a corrosion inhibiting component having:

one or more tetrahydrobenzotriazoles having the general formulas Ia or Ib:

wherein R 1 is one or more of: hydrogen, a hydroxy group, or an aliphatic group, and wherein R 2 is hydrogen, or an aliphatic group, or a salt of the tetrahydrotriazoles; and

one or more other triazoles having the general formula II:

wherein R 3 is one or more of: hydrogen, a hydroxy group, an aliphatic group, or an aromatic group, R 4 is hydrogen, or an aliphatic group; or a salt of the other triazoles;

wherein the tetrahydrobenzotriazoles are in a weight ratio to the other triazoles in the range of from about 1:89 to about 1:8 such that the composition decreases the General Corrosion rate, as measured by copper electrodes in the presence of 10 ppm sodium hypochlorite, by at least about 0.05 mpy relative to a corrosion inhibitor component comprising 100% of the other triazoles;

wherein the corrosion inhibiting component comprises from about 10 to 100% of the composition; and

(b) contacting a metal component which is corrodible in the presence of copper or copper corroding agents with the composition of step (a) to inhibit corrosion of the metal component by copper or copper corroding agents; wherein step (b) is carried out by incorporating the composition of step (a) in a fluid which is in contact with the metal component such there is a concentration of the corrosion inhibiting component in the fluid of at least about 1 ppm.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metals or metal alloy of step (b) comprises copper.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein step (b) is carried out by forming a protective film of the composition of step (a) on a surface of the metal component.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal or metal alloy of step (b) is one or more of: aluminum, iron, steel, or silver.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the metal component is in the presence of a copper-containing fluid and wherein step (b) is carried out by adding the composition of step (a) to the copper-containing fluid.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal component of step (b) is part of an aqueous system.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal component of step (b) is part of a nonaqueous system.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal component of step (b) is part of a heat exchanger/transfer system, a machining fluid system, a coolant system, a lubricant system, a hydraulic fluid system, a steam generating system, a reverse osmosis system, an oil production system, a flash evaporator system, a desalinization system, a paper processing system, a pulp processing system, a food processing system, a beverage processing system, a bottle washing system, an aqueous-based closed circuit heating system, an aqueous-based closed circuit refrigerant system, a sewage effluent system, or an industrial waste water system.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (b) is carried out by incorporating the composition of step (a) in the fluid such that there is a concentration of the corrosion inhibiting component in the fluid of from about 50 to about 1000 ppm.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more tetrahydrobenzotriazoles of the composition of step (a) are one or more of: tetrahydrobenzotriazole; or tetrahydrotolyltriazole.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the one or more tetrahydrobenzotriazoles of the composition of step (a) are tetrahydrotolyltriazole.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more other triazoles of the composition of step (a) are one or more of: benzotriazole; a sodium salt of benzotriazole; tolyltriazole; a sodium salt of tolyltriazole; pentoxy-benzotriazole; carboxy-benzotriazole; N-1-bis(2-ethylhexyl)-aminomethyl-tolyltriazole; or N-1-bis(2,2′-ethanol)-aminomethyl-tolyltriazole.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the one or more other triazoles of the composition of step (a) are a mixture of benzotriazole and tolyltriazole, or a mixture of the sodium salts of benzotriazole and tolyltriazole.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the weight ratio of the tetrahydrobenzotriazoles to the other triazoles of the composition of step (a) is in the range of from about 1:89 to about 1:12.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the weight ratio of the tetrahydrobenzotriazoles to the other triazoles of the composition of step (a) is in the range of from about 1:44 to about 1:14.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the weight ratio of the tetrahydrobenzotriazoles to the other triazoles is such that the composition of step (a) decreases the General Corrosion rate, as measured by the copper electrodes in the presence of 10 ppm sodium hypochlorite, by at least about 0.3 mpy relative to the corrosion inhibitor component comprising 100% of the other triazoles.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the weight ratio of the tetrahydrobenzotriazoles to the other triazoles is such that the composition of step (a) decreases the General Corrosion rate, as measured by copper electrodes in the presence of 10 ppm sodium hypochlorite, by at least about 0.5 mpy relative to the corrosion inhibitor component comprising 100% of the other triazoles.