You Can’t Keep Innovative Young Engineers Down

You Can’t Keep Innovative Young Engineers Down

Blogs, Conferences and Events, Corrosion Engineering Division, Latest News, YEP

Could you solve this case study and become a big winner?

The young engineers in the Institute of Corrosion’s Young Engineer Programme are an innovative bunch. There was no way that the coronavirus lockdown and curtailing of mass gatherings was going to stop them in their tracks.

Instead of in the elegant Royal Over-Seas League club in London, these intrepid young engineers gathered around their computer screens at home to learn of the 2020 Case Study that will be used to determine which group of young engineers will be the winners of this year’s star prize. It was the first time that an ICorr Young Engineers group had met online, but was so successful that it is unlikely to be the last.

2018’s Winning Young Engineers group whet appetites for success

With an appraisal of their winning case study from 2018, Caroline Allanach, Danny Burkle and Tim Evans whet the appetites for success of the young engineers in attendance online during the evening.

The insight they provided as to how they approached their task, and a critical assessment of their reaction and solution to the failure that occurred was both informative and entertaining. So, too, was their description of the prize they won – a tremendous trip to the 2019 NACE Conference in Nashville.

A corrosion conundrum is this year’s case study

There are seven participating groups in this year’s Young Engineer Programme case study, and they have been given quite a conundrum to unravel.

The case study was presented by Steve Paterson, from Arbeadie Consultants Ltd., who has a career of corrosion experience to draw on. He hasn’t made it easy for this year’s programme participants. Here is the scenario he has set:

  • Several leaks have been identified in the titanium piping in an onshore desalination plant
  • This plant is used to remove salts from mono-ethylene glycol
  • The plant is also used for hydration and corrosion control in gas pipelines from three offshore fields

At the end of the presentation, the 32 young engineers were posed with the problems they must work to overcome, which include:

  • How to perform a corrosion risk assessment to determine that the plant is safe to operate
  • Recommending alternative materials to use
  • Identifying what mitigation options could be used to prolong the life of this section of the desalination plant
  • Identifying the root cause of the corrosion

Online meetings can get lively!

The young engineers in this year’s intake come from 19 companies, and their specialities include mechanical and materials engineering, welding, materials, and more. With such diversity, you might expect a lively meeting when in a meeting room. It was hard to know what to expect online, though.

The discussions that followed the presentation of the case study proved that no matter how we get together, when there’s an interesting and provocative scenario put forward, online events can be just as lively as in-person meetings.

The range of experience and specialties were certainly put to the test, and the question and answer session proved to be the first opportunity for ideas and complexities to be explored.

In brief, a fruitful, useful and exciting meeting, aptly brought to a close by Trevor Osborne, a past President of the Institute of Corrosion, and Managing Director of Deepwater Corrosion services (UK) Ltd.

The big wait begins!

And so, the big wait begins. It will be several months before we learn which group of young engineers will be this year’s winner.

The groups now undertake further investigation, collaborating behind the scenes and aided by four more lectures, and the help of a mentor assigned to each group, before presenting their case studies in November.

Could you be a future winner in the Young Engineer Programme?

Watch this space! The Young Engineer Programme is held biannually. To learn how you could become a winner, visit our YEP pages or email the Institute of Corrosion at admin@icorr.org.

The Institute of Corrosion Booms on Social Media

The Institute of Corrosion Booms on Social Media

Blogs, Latest News

Connecting the world to the corrosion conversation

During the COVID-19-induced lockdown, the use of social media has exploded. Numbers from The Institute of Corrosion’s social media accounts show that our members are staying in touch and connected to their professional life as well as their personal.

Connecting with corrosion professionals

Coronavirus has shown the world many things. Our need to connect with other humans, for example. And when we can’t interact face-to-face, we find other ways of doing do. That’s a common thread that has run through history. From cave drawings to smoke signals, to telegrams to telephones, we humans have always innovated new ways to interact remotely.

Of course, the world has moved on from smoke signals to social media as a preferred channel of communication, interaction, and information gathering. The unprecedented times in which we currently find ourselves has shown just how much we now rely on social media – and the Institute of Corrosion has not been left behind.  

ICorr – Your professional destination on social media

According to recent data from GlobalWebIndex, social media is a core activity of people in lockdown. If you’re like half of internet users, your use of social media and messaging services will have taken up more of your time recently. The research shows that:

  • Almost half of internet users say they are spending more time on their social media and on messaging services
  • More than a third are spending more time on mobile apps
  • One in five people expect to continue to spend more time on their social media after the COVID-19 outbreak has passed

You may have noticed that we’ve been developing our social media this year as part of the Institute of Corrosion’s rebranding strategy. You can now find us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. We’re sharing our blogs, news, and market information with the world, and we’re encouraging our members to become involved – and this approach is paying dividends.

ICorr – Social media growing faster than LinkedIn

Our social media numbers are growing tremendously. For example, the number of members on our LinkedIn group page are up by around 15% this year, and moving toward 2,500. That’s a faster rate of growth than the whole of LinkedIn, which has seen its number of members increase by around 2.25%.  

We’re seeing more visitors on Facebook, and more shares of our social media posts. Our fledgling Instagram account is gaining traction.

ICorr – An increasingly globally social society

Among the core values of the Institute of Corrosion, we want to share corrosion expertise with the world. We took the decision to communicate through channels that people use – including increasing our depth and presence on social media.

Our ambition of increasing our global reach is being helped by our social media presence. Traffic to our website – in large part driven by our social media and organic search – increased by around 9.5% in the last three months from the previous three months.

The UK accounts for around a third of site visitors, but our new focus on digital communication channels is gaining an audience around the globe. Here are a few highlights from the latest digital presence report presented at the most recent council meeting:

  • Visitor numbers from Europe rose strongly, led by the Netherlands with a colossal increase of more than 25%.
  • Visitors from the United States increased by a very impressive 15%.
  • India was next on the list, with almost 13% more visitors than in the previous period.
  • Among others, Nigeria and the UAE are also showing strong growth in visitor numbers to our website.

Online content and social media working hand-in-hand

When we rebranded, we rebranded our website simultaneously. The greater depth of content on site now includes:

We’re continually developing our content and social media to keep an increasing worldwide community in touch with all the latest news, views and developments in corrosion. And our efforts are helping corrosion professionals around the globe develop their professional networks through membership of the Institute of Corrosion.

Our social media is your social media

One of the most satisfying outcomes from our social media is the ease with which you can now get in touch with us at the institute and your fellow corrosion community. It’s easy, too:

Our conversation about corrosion is your conversation. And if you’re not a social media person, then don’t forget that the leading journal for corrosion control and prevention, Corrosion Management, is published bi-monthly and is distributed to subscribers worldwide.

The Institute of Corrosion is your institute. our social media is your social media. We look forward to hearing from you.

Corrosion Science Symposium – Same Prestige in a New Format for 2020

Corrosion Science Symposium – Same Prestige in a New Format for 2020

Blogs, Conferences and Events, Corrosion Science Division

Corrosion Science Symposium – The Same Prestige in a New Format for 2020

Could your abstract win the Lionel Shreir Award?

The Corrosion Science Symposium is one of the premier events in the Institute of Corrosion’s calendar. This year, circumstances looked like causing it to be cancelled. However, we’ve discovered that coronavirus, lockdown and social distancing are no match for innovative minds, willpower, and technology.

It’s not going to be quite the same as in previous years. But we think you’ll like what we’ve done to ensure the Corrosion Science Symposium is as equally engaging and enlightening an event as it has always been, since it was first held in 1959. The key to its success, as ever, is those who attend: you.

What is the Corrosion Science Symposium?

The Corrosion Science Symposium (CSS) has traditionally been a two-day event held in a prestigious location befitting of its status. The 60th CSS was held as part of Electrochem 2019, hosted by the University of Strathclyde’s Innovation Centre in Glasgow.

This is an informal meeting of the Corrosion Science Division in which corrosion scientists, corrosion engineers and PhD students can gather, receive talks on corrosion, and discuss relevant corrosion issues.

Though it is an informal event, the CSS does include certain formalities. Presentations of some of the Institute of Corrosion Awards are made during the CSS including:

  • The UR Evans Award – the premier scientific award of ICorr
  • The Lionel Shreir Award – for the outstanding student talk given during the CSS

A new format for new normal times

With a more unpredictable future than at any time in our history, the CSS has been moved from a physical space to cyberspace this year. While the exact format is still being finalised, we’ve set the date and the outline format.

We’re going online, but, rather than what we believe would be an intense two days of sitting in front of a screen, we’re extending to three or four sessions during the week beginning 14th September 2020.

Nearer the date, we’ll announce the exact format, times, and technology we’ll be using. One thing is for certain, though – being online, the CSS will be more accessible this year than it has ever been. Consequently, we are expecting many more international students to take part, and that could lead to some exciting competition for the Lionel Shreir Award.

What is the Lionel Shreir Award?

Lionel Louis Shreir set incredibly high standards during a career spanning engineering, research and education. A recipient of the UR Evans Award in 1978, he is, perhaps, best remembered for his encouragement and mentorship of young authors attempting to write papers.

It is fitting, therefore, that the Lionel Shreir Award is presented to the student who gives the best presentation at the CSS, with criteria for the award being:

  • The originality and creativity of research
  • Knowledge of corrosion science and practice
  • Clarity of presentation and rapport with audience
  • Clarity when answering questions

Get involved with the 61st CSS

Last year, presentations at the CSS included:

  • David Kumar (University of Bristol), who gave an interesting overview of his work on hot water corrosion issues related to fusion reactor cooling circuits
  • Mariana Folena (University of Leeds) reported on her studies into the role of acetic acid in CO2 top of line corrosion using real-time corrosion measurements
  • Jessica Moulton (University of Manchester) gave a good overview into her recent studies modelling the behaviour of aluminium flakes in marine coatings using agar gels
  • Amelia Langley (University of Bath) – the eventual winner of the Lionel Shreir Award for her talk entitled ‘Chaotic copper corrosion: the influence of dissolved gas on the anodic passivation of copper in model seawater’

We are now accepting submissions of abstracts for this year’s CSS. All you need to do is to send a 200-word abstract of a 10-minute presentation/talk you’d like to give. We’ll review the abstracts, and select those that we believe can be coordinated into a cohesive programme of presentations through the week.

The winner of the Lionel Shreir Award is selected during the CSS, and we currently plan to present the award online on the final evening – though we must still figure out the logistics of doing so!

To enter your abstract, please send to j.a.wharton@soton.ac.uk by Friday 17th July 2020. Those selected will then be contacted and asked to send an extended abstract by Friday 28th August.

Ask the Expert – Part 2

Latest News

This month, the questions being answered by our corrosion technology experts relate to acid storage tank linings and the deployment of non-intrusive corrosion monitoring devises for pipelines and process pipework.

Question:
There are many types of non-intrusive devices for corrosion and erosion monitoring, and these do not normally form part of, or experience the pressure envelope, as they are merely attached to it to monitor underlying conditions such as high risk solids/flow erosion, e.g. unintended sand production in crude oil at reservoir start-ups. Many of these devices have been available for years using well-established technologies/principles of corrosion/erosion monitoring, such as Automated Ultrasonics. In recent times these technologies have been developed much further in the quality and accuracy of data provided so that they are often better than manual methods, and by improvements to power packs and to the transmission of collected data, (wireless or hard-wired links to process control panels with pre-set alarms). Modifications to make the equipment safe to deploy is hazardous areas, through independent certification such as ATEX (explosive atmospheres)and associated European Directives for controlling explosive atmosphere, have been made. Directive 99/92/EC, (also known as ‘ATEX 137’ or the ‘ATEX Workplace Directive’) on minimum requirements for improving the health and safety protection of workers potentially at risk from explosive atmospheres and Directive 94/9/EC (also known as ‘ATEX 95’ or ‘the ATEX Equipment Directive’) concerning equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres. In the UK, the requirements of these Directives were put into effect through BIS (SI 1996/192), Equipment and Protective Systems Intended for Use in Potentially Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 1996.

Given the very wide choice and different specifications of equipment available now, how does one select the most suitable equipment for effective corrosion/erosion monitoring? AB

Answer:
The answer to this, is to some extent in the question itself, as firstly, it is important to determine what level of monitoring is actually required (it’s criticality) and where that equipment is best located in service (in hazardous or non-hazardous zones) and accessibility for future maintenance, as many regulatory requirements and operator site specific standards must be met both at initial installation and for future maintenance of such equipment.

A key factor is operating temperature, and design modifications are usually required for sensors in constant contact with very hot surfaces. It may also be necessary to temporary remove thermal insulation from pipework and protective safety cages, for installation and to repair this afterwards to prevent water ingress.
If significant erosion of material is expected, sensors must also be correctly positioned to monitor key ‘impact points’ on bends, tees and other geometric configurations, and to be able to do this effectively. It is necessary to have a clear understanding of the internal flow rate and 
regime e.g. laminar or turbulent, as may be indicated by the Reynolds number (Re), which can be calculated by multiplying the fluid velocity by the internal pipe diameter and then dividing the result by the kinematic viscosity. The flow regime is influenced by the fluid properties, the flow conduit size and rates of each of the phases.

For internal corrosion degradation, the likely orientation of this damage must first be determined and the appropriate spacing of sensors specified in sufficient numbers to detect the expected deterioration mode, such as shallow or deep pitting, distributed or localised decay, bottom of line, top of line, etc.
Most sensors (magnetic or clamped) rely of having an associated power pack with the batteries typically lasting between 3-9 years according to the selected interval between measurements. It is very important that the measurement interval suits the type of data being collected, e.g. high frequency data gathering is required for well-commissioning activities where solids production is an expected risk.

Note that this equipment may be either of the relocatable/re-use type, when only temporary/short-term measurement is required, or of the more permanent types, perhaps installed more comprehensively with multiple sensors, e.g. for CUI, or other more intensive applications, even under water such as on subsea pipelines.
Non-intrusive devices provide additional monitoring possibilities where intrusive devices are not available. They are also extremely useful where intensive/regular measurement is required and avoid labour intensive (and often less accurate) manual data gathering methods. Compared to intrusive devices, they are more frequently of the automated type with data transmission to control rooms or using vendor installed software, or alternatively linked to the client’s systems. As with all such equipment however, the devices must be regularly checked/calibrated at site, so as to provide reliable data.

Consideration of all the above factors will greatly influence successful applications/outcomes in this growing area of the CM equipment market. ST
Readers can submit generic (not project specific) questions for possible inclusion in this column. Please email the editor at, brianpce@aol.com

Paul McIntyre Award

Paul McIntyre Award

Latest News

The winner of this year’s Paul McIntyre Award is Carmen Andrade.  The announcement was made during the on-line CED meeting on 29 April, at which she also gave a short presentation.

Until her retirement, Dr Carmen Andrade was a Research Professor at the Institute of Construction Sciences “Eduardo Torroja” of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), working in the field of concrete durability and reinforcement corrosion. At present she is visiting Research Professor at the International Centre for Numerical Methods in Engineering (CIMNE). She is the author of numerous papers, has been editor of several books, and has supervised around 30 PhD theses. She has received several awards, including the R. N. Whitney Prize 2013 by NACE, Robert L’Hermite Medal 1987 from RILEM, “Manuel Rocha” of the Presidency of Portugal, and the “ALCONPAT Prize” in recognition her distinguished career. She is an honorary doctor of the University of Trondheim (Norway) and of the University Alicante (Spain).  She has participated in several standardisation committees at National, European and International level and has been President of several international organisations related to her specialty (UEAtc, RILEM, WFTAO and the Liaison Committee which brings together the Associations: CIB, FIB, IABSE, IASS, RILEM and ECCE).  At present she is also the President of ALCONPAT, the Latin American Association of Control of Quality, Pathology and Recovery of Structures. She has been General Director of Technology Policy of the Ministry of Education and Science, and advisor to the Secretary of State for Universities in the Ministry of Science and Innovation, Spain.