[fcesar]

I'm looking for the definition of "Primary Corrosion inhibitor" and the source.
Common sense tells me that primary corrosion inhibitor is the product you use to treat your primary corrosion problem. Secondary corrosion inhibitor, as the word say, is the product used as “safety” to prevent other types of corrosion other then your primary. "Let you sleep at night" type 
The chemist (a contractor) treating our industrial water system is trying to tell me that primary corrosion inhibitor is a "list of products" such as PO4, poly phosphate, silicates, etc....
From what I understand, those products are commonly used as primary corrosion inhibitors, but that does not make them ALWAYS the primary, it depends on the use you are making, not the product itself.
I'm not a chemist and I'm being tagged as "I don't know what I'm talking about".
Can someone help me find the definition of primary and secondary corrosion inhibitors and most important, the source or reference that I can bring to a meeting with this chemist.
We are also being told that the product we are using has corrosion inhibitor but it does not have any primary corrosion inhibitor, "primary" being the key word.
Please correct me if I'm wrong.
Thank you

[Borek]

Interesting - only about 30 hits for "Primary Corrosion inhibitor" when using Google (note quotes). Looks like it is not a widely used term.

[fcesar]

I tried Google and a few other search engines and did not have much luck.
I've been researching this for a few days.   

[eugenedakin]

Hmm.. interesting ... I have been doing corrosion chemistry for over 12 years, I am a member of NACE and SPE,  and have not heard of the term Primary or Secondary inhibitor...

Sincerely,

Eugene

[chiralic]

Guys read this: http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?p=1229467

[Borek]

chiralic: check who started thread here and there