MIC Training to Meet Industry Demand

Recognising the need to address the pressing challenges of managing microbiological corrosion, the Institute of Corrosion has developed two tailored Microbiologically-Influenced Corrosion Courses:

• The one-day Awareness Course, and
• The comprehensive 4-day Certified MIC Technologist (plus one half day for the optional exam).

The focus is on:

• Understanding the mechanisms of microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC)
• Monitoring for MIC
• Which materials are affected and how they are damaged.
• The corrosion causing microbial groups
• Managing and preventing the phenomenon of MIC.

The MIC courses allow corrosion professionals to benefit from the experience and expertise of Tony Rizk, PhD, Ex-Honorary Reader at Manchester University, and Course Lead, as well as discovering more about the latest MIC knowledge and corrosion management techniques.

Why Is MIC Training Needed?

MIC is a threat in most industries. It has been a factor, and sometimes the prime cause, in many corrosion events. Left unmanaged, sessile colonies can lead to material degradation, structural failures, environmental damage, health and safety issues, operational problems, costly repairs, penalties, loss of reputation and fines.

MIC identification and mitigation is a complex process, and much misunderstood. With it comes unique corrosion challenges. For example:

• In the oil and gas industry, sessile microorganisms accelerate the rate of corrosion in pipelines, storage tanks, injection and production systems and other key structures. Marine and offshore structures and shipping are highly susceptible to MIC because of the favoured conditions and the diversity of microorganisms in seawater.
• Water and wastewater systems are also vulnerable, as are power generation plants (both conventional and nuclear).

Specialised training will equip industries and the professionals working in them with the knowledge and skills to manage MIC effectively.

Who Will Benefit from ICorr’s MIC Courses?

While anyone who works in corrosion and industrial microbiology will benefit from attending one or both these MIC courses, they will be especially useful to you if you fall into one of the following categories of industry professionals and stakeholders:

• Managers
• Project leaders
• Industrial biologists
• Engineers
• Scientists
• Field management and technical staff

You can expect to expand your knowledge and gain the skills to address a multitude of MIC issues across sectors such as oil and gas, marine, water, and power generation.

How Are the Courses Structured and Delivered?

The MIC training adds to our suite of classroom courses for corrosion professionals. These new, state-of-the-art courses are usually presented at ICorr Headquarters in Northampton. However, the courses can also be offered at company promises to enable a group of employees to attend. Attendees will be provided with expert knowledge on a range of MIC related topics, including MIC threat assessment, identification methods, monitoring, and MIC mitigation methods.

We use case studies to share latest industry best practices, and the course covers both theoretical and practical aspects. This industry-leading MIC training is designed to meet the diverse demands of industry at three levels of proficiency:

·       Awareness Course

A one-day introductory MIC course to provide an insight into the phenomenon, address the misconception of ‘Do microorganisms eat metal?’, and cover basic corrosion management principles. It is designed to provide an overview of MIC mechanisms, known corrosion-causing microbial groups, monitoring techniques, assessment and mitigation, affected materials and identification and managing MIC. It also discusses some high-profile MIC failures (especially in the upstream oil and gas industry).

·       MIC Technologist

This four-day course includes theoretical and practical sessions with a focus on providing detailed knowledge on managing and conducting an MIC control program including proven sampling and monitoring strategies, data interpretation and presentation, and identification of potential risks. The course is designed in modules covering the following:

• Introduction to MIC
• Corrosion-influencing microbes
• Monitoring techniques
• Control methodologies
• Affected materials
• Identification of and managing MIC

The course includes a practical session. On completion of the entire course, an ICorr attendance certificate is awarded.

·       Certified MIC Technologist Course

This course is the same as the 4-day Microbiologically-Influenced Corrosion (MIC) course (above), but includes an extra half-day in which the attendee takes an exam. On passing this exam, an ICorr Certified MIC Technologist certificate is awarded.

Benefits of ICorr’s Microbiologically-Influenced Corrosion Courses

Enrol on one of our MIC courses, and you will gain in-depth understanding of microbial corrosion, including the underlying microbiological processes that lead to corrosion, and diagnosing and managing MIC. With this knowledge in your armoury, you can then implement specific strategies to monitor and mitigate MIC. This will help you to safeguard and extend the lifespan of assets and ensure significant cost avoidance to your company.

The courses have been developed to help advance professional skills and expertise, aiding career growth and opening new opportunities in your chosen field. Of course, like all ICorr’s training courses and knowledge-sharing events, you’ll also find this a useful platform to network and extend your connections within the corrosion community in different industries.

How to Enrol on ICorr’s Microbiologically-Influenced Corrosion Courses

It’s easy to enrol on either of our MIC courses. Simply:

• Click on the MIC Courses page on our website to find course dates and costs.
• Navigate to the course button you wish to attend, and click to download the registration form.
• Fill in the form, and email or post it to the Institute of Corrosion (details are at the foot of the registration form.

Don’t Delay. Act Today!

Our next course dates are in October 2023, and we anticipate they will sell out fast.

Don’t miss out. Click on the following link to register for your chosen Microbiologically-Influenced Training Course today:

ICorr Microbiologically-Influenced Corrosion Courses – Register Now

Articles in This MIC Corrosion Series:

Bio-Corrosion Basics: What Is MIC Corrosion?

Real Life Impacts of Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion

The Unique Challenges of Managing Microbiological Corrosion

Introducing ICorr’s Microbiologically-Influenced Corrosion Courses

5 Obstacles Corrosion Professionals Must Navigate in MIC Prevention

Microbiological corrosion (MIC) is a significant threat in many industries. The consequences of failing to effectively manage MIC range from reduced structural integrity to catastrophic failures, extensive damage, financial losses, and loss of life. (We discussed seven such failures in our recent article, ‘Real Life Impacts of Microbiologically-Influenced Corrosion‘.

However, the management of MIC is not without unique challenges. The corrosion-causing microorganisms are diverse and thrive in some of the harshest environments. These include oil and gas pipelines, cooling systems, marine structures, and even household plumbing. MIC exhibits distinctive characteristics that distinguish it from other types of corrosion mechanisms, too.

In this article, we’ll take you on a journey that explores the challenges of managing MIC. It will highlight some essential knowledge that is required if we are to mitigate the detrimental effects of microbiological corrosion to enhance safety or working environments and increase the longevity of our industrial (and public) infrastructure.

The 5 Challenges of Managing Microbiological Corrosion

The unique challenges of managing MIC demand attention and proactive measures from corrosion professionals and the industries in which they operate. We see these challenges falling under five distinct categories:

1. Standards: challenges in establishing guidelines, regulations, professional codes and risk assessment
2. Identification of microbiological corrosion
3. Assessment of severity and risk
4. Treatment of MIC
5. Monitoring of MIC

MIC is shrouded in mystery because it’s not as well understood as other corroiosn mechanisms. Yet to prevent it from causing the structural corrosion that leads to significant failures, and environmental and financial losses, we must address these challenges. To achieve this a proactive management approach is the key to ensure the safety and sustainability of critical infrastructure.

Let’s delve a little deeper into the understanding of these MIC management challenges.

Standards: Challenges in Establishing Guidelines and Regulations

The landscape of standards in the management of MIC is fractured. There is an absence of universally accepted standards, and this often leads to a lack of consistency in the approach to tackling MIC. This makes it difficult for corrosion professionals to establish and adopt comprehensive strategies.

Where guidelines exist, there is a considerable variation between different industries. Of course, some of this variation is due to the unique nature of each environment – and this also poses challenges for those who work within multiple industries. Navigating through a maze of divergent guidelines can be like walking through a minefield.

Any standardisation of guidelines and regulations would necessarily require personalisation to suit different sectors. We would need to consider a myriad of factors, including material compatibility, operational constraints, selection of fit-for-purpose materials, and environmental considerations for effective implementation of MIC management strategies.

Challenges in the Identification of Microbiological Corrosion

The microorganisms involved in MIC, and their ability to form biofilms, are complex and diverse, making it challenging to identify the exact MIC mechanisms in play. The analytical techniques to detect and identify microorganisms require specialist knowledge and tools.

“Different systems require different sampling procedures and planktonic sampling can be used to estimate the density and diversity of colonising microbe,” says Tony Rizk, CEO of Halo Sealing Systems Limited, and Course Lead for ICorr’s new MIC Training Courses. “In all cases, samples should be collected as close as possible to their source. The best representative samples are collected using online coupons, pigging sludge, surface scrapings, and sediment. Samples should be collected during normal operation and free of contamination. Collected samples should be preserved, transported and, if needed, stored at 4^oC.”

Though we have witnessed significant progress in MIC science, very few have the required knowledge of the interplay between microorganisms, metallic surfaces, and environmental factors involved in the process. Such limited understanding is an obstacle to the development of effective MIC prevention and management strategies. Clearly, the way forward here is to aggressively share knowledge, and empower scientists and engineers to collaborate more effectively with a shared objective of unravelling the intricacies of MIC mechanisms and management.

A further complication that clouds the identification of microbiological corrosion is the overlap with other forms of corrosion. It is also common for MIC to co-exist with other corrosion mechanisms. Yet, to develop and implement effective prevention strategies, identification of MIC is critical. Not only is knowledge crucial here, but also the use of specific diagnostic tools and techniques.

Challenges in the Assessment of Severity and Risk

The third significant challenge is quantifying the extent of MIC damage. As MIC is often localised corrosion, assessing overall severity can be difficult – traditional techniques for assessing the extent of MIC damage may not be enough.

There is also a lack of predictive models to accurately forecast the progression of MIC and its effects on a structure or system – another reason we must collaborate in our research efforts to better understand unique MIC mechanisms. If corrosion scientists can develop data-led predictive models, corrosion engineers can use these to develop proactive MIC prevention strategies.

Finally, we must factor in the cost of MIC prevention and management. This means assessing its value to combat the economic impact of MIC. There is always a balance between the costs of impact and the costs of mitigation to be struck. Just how do we assess the long-term financial impact of microbiological corrosion?

Challenges in the Treatment of MIC

When considering treating MIC, we are faced with three challenges:

1. Deeper knowledge is needed to select effective treatment options based on factors such as the specific environment, microorganisms involved, the severity of the corrosion, and the impact of treatment on the environment and infrastructure itself.
2. Selecting suitable inhibitors and biocides requires an understanding of specific microbial species, operating conditions and geochemical composition, as well as understanding how the treatment will affect the structure over time.
3. Implementing treatment in piping, confined and concealed spaces and large infrastructure is a complex process, and suitable application techniques must be selected and executed. Corrosion engineers and industrial microbiologists must also consider the long-term maintenance requirements post-treatment.

Challenges in Continuous Monitoring of MIC

If we are to instigate effective and timely mitigation and intervention for MIC, continuous monitoring is crucial. DNA technologies have improved MIC monitoring processes, yet their adaptation is still, relatively speaking, in its infancy. Sporadic inspections are unlikely to capture the rapid progression of MIC – reliable, real-time monitoring techniques are needed.

It’s also true to say that monitoring MIC is challenging because MIC often occurs in highly inaccessible locations, including offshore structures, underground pipelines, or submerged equipment. Not only might accessibility be limited, but we must also consider safety when conducting routine inspection of installing monitoring equipment.

The data collected can also be complex. It requires expertise to translate into meaningful conclusions about microbial activity, corrosion rates, and other relevant parameters. Incomplete or misinterpreted data can lead to ineffectual MIC management.

Overcoming the Challenges of MIC Management Starts with Understanding MIC

The challenges associated with managing microbiological corrosion are multifaceted. The lack of universally accepted standards, difficulties in identifying and assessing MIC, selecting suitable treatment strategies, and implementing continuous monitoring are hurdles that require dedicated effort to overcome.

It’s crucial that we invest in research, collaboration, and professional development. Enhancing our knowledge will help us to manage MIC more effectively. This will enable us to embrace the proactive approach that will safeguard our critical infrastructure for the future.

ICorr’s MIC Training Courses are designed to provide you with the detailed knowledge required to manage MIC.

• The one-day MIC Awareness Course delivers an overview of MIC phenomenon including corrosion-influencing microorganism groups, monitoring techniques, control methodologies, affected materials and identification, and managing MIC. It also discusses some of the MIC high-profile failures.
• The four-day Microbiologically-Influenced Corrosion (MIC) Course incorporates theoretical and practical sessions with a focus on providing detailed knowledge on managing and conducting an MIC control program. It includes sampling and monitoring strategies, data interpretation and presentation, and identification of potential risks. On completion of the entire course an ICorr ‘MIC Technologist’ certificate of attendance is awarded. For attendees who also take and pass the additional examination, an ICorr ‘Certified MIC Technologist’ certificate is awarded.

To learn more, please email the Institute of Corrosion for information about our new MIC Training Course.

Articles in This MIC Corrosion Series:

Bio-Corrosion Basics: What Is MIC Corrosion?

Real Life Impacts of Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion

The Unique Challenges of Managing Microbiological Corrosion

Introducing ICorr’s Microbiologically-Influenced Corrosion Courses

MIC ─ Leaving Its Mark on the World

As we discussed in a previous article, we discussed how microbiologically-influenced corrosion (MIC) – also known as microbial corrosion – occurs when sessile microorganisms alter the physiochemical conditions on a metal surface. MIC increases corrosion rates, leading to a premature and severe type of corrosion. Biocorrosion can be highly destructive, leading to disastrous consequences in several industries.

In this article, we outline three notable examples in the oil and gas industry, and how MIC can be influential in other sectors.

The Aliso Canyon Leak, 2015

The Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) provides gas to over 21 million customers in Los Angeles and Southern California. The utility company injects gas into natural underground storage areas. A fracture of the 7” casing and a 19” axial split was caused by external MIC.

The failure leaked around 109,000 metric tons of methane over a period of five months. The incident was the largest methane leak in US history and caused substantial gas supply shortage to power stations.

More than 8,000 households were evacuated. The cost to the utility exceeded USD 2 billion including civil lawsuits settled for US$ 1.8 billion on 27/9/2021.

Methane has 28 times greater global warming potential than carbon dioxide and indicates the environmental damage and effect on global warming.

The Prudhoe Bay Oil Spill, 2006

A 34” pipeline operated by BP and partners including Exxon Mobil Corp and ConocoPhillips spilled over 267,000 gallons of crude. It was the biggest oil spill in Alaska’s history and devastated 7,700 m2 of pristine land. The spill originated from a ¼” hole in the pipeline that was caused by internal MIC.

The company was fined US$ 255 million in addition to the loss of production and cost of containment. The pipeline was decommissioned and replaced with a 20” pipeline provided with facilities to enhance inspection and monitoring.

The incident caused shockwaves on the international market and the price of oil on NYMEX jumped by US$2.22 a barrel while BP shares dropped by 2%.

The El Paso Pipeline, New Mexico, 2000

An explosion in the El Paso pipeline in New Mexico caused a huge crater (around 51 feet wide and 113 feet long), damaged bridges, and cost the company a US$15.5 million penalty. Damage to property cost US$1 million. Multiple lives were lost.

The ensuing investigation showed the “presence of acid-producing bacteria in all samples obtained from the corrosion pit areas” with “striations and undercutting features that are often associated with microbial corrosion.” The presence of contaminants that included oxygen, hydrogen sulphide, and carbon dioxide also contributing.

It was a horrific event that could have been avoided with effective corrosion prevention. An error that El Paso was required to correct – costing almost US$90 million to upgrade the 10,000-mile pipeline system.

MIC Isn’t Restricted to Oil and Gas Structures

Though mostly studied by the oil and gas industry and because of the highly publicised and detrimental impact of failures in the energy sector, microbiologically-influenced corrosion affects other sectors, too, causing pitting corrosion, galvanic corrosion, and crevice corrosion, among others. Examples of microbiologically-induced corrosion include:

·       Water Distribution Systems

Microorganisms that are present in water, like sulphate-reducing bacteria, can produce hydrogen sulphide gas that accelerates corrosion. The result can be pipe leaks and issues with water quality.

·       Power Plants

Algae and bacteria can form biofilms on metal surfaces – particularly in heat exchangers and cooling systems. These biofilms can produce the conditions that accelerate corrosion, impairing heat transfer efficiency, reducing equipment lifespan, and increasing maintenance costs.

·       Marine and Offshore Structures

Marine environments provide good conditions for certain microorganisms to thrive. MIC can affect the metal components of ships, offshore platforms, and coastal infrastructure – and attacking coatings and submerged structures – and increasing maintenance requirements.

·       Water and Wastewater Treatment Facilities

The combination of aggressive water chemistry and microorganisms can lead to corrosion of pipes, pumps, valves, and other equipment in water and carbon-rich wastewater treatment facilities. The outcome is a reduction in efficiency of treatment processes and increased maintenance costs.

·       Chemical and Petrochemical Plants

Colonising surfaces and forming biofilms that induce corrosion in pipelines, storage tanks, and other metal components. This can result in leaks, process disruptions, and safety hazards.

The Bottom Line

Disasters that are, at least in part, caused by microbiologically-influenced corrosion have left indelible marks on our economies, environments, and industries. They have caused horrendous environmental disasters, huge financial and reputational costs, and loss of lives.

The examples we’ve discussed in this article highlight the destructive nature of MIC, and the need to prevent it and use effective treatment regimes to mitigate it.

It’s crucial that we continue to expand our understanding of MIC, the susceptibility of materials to microbiologically-induced corrosion in conjunction with other corrosion mechanisms, and improve the evaluation of microbiologically-influenced corrosion. If we can achieve this, we can help to create a safer and more sustainable world for all in it. However, doing so means we must strive to overcome the challenges associated with MIC – a topic that we explore in our next article in this series.

“MIC is such a misunderstood field of the industry that not all failures are openly investigated. The examples in this article are the tip of the iceberg,” says Tony Rizk, PhD, Ex-Honorary Reader at Manchester University, and Course Lead.

“A particular problem is that some corrosion engineers have been reluctant to recognise MIC as a problem. In one case in which I was involved, a lead engineer (and a distinguished figure in the industry) did not believe in MIC and consequently the project design was commissioned based on only one SRB test.  Strange, but true.”

To improve your knowledge and practical capability in the war against MIC, please email the Institute of Corrosion for information about our new MIC Training Course.

Articles in This MIC Corrosion Series:

Bio-Corrosion Basics: What Is MIC Corrosion?

Real Life Impacts of Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion

The Unique Challenges of Managing Microbiological Corrosion

Introducing ICorr’s Microbiologically-Influenced Corrosion Courses

(Image attribution: https://flickr.com/photos/33246316@N02/23807396891)