Our new Wales and South-West Regional Branch is set to host its first event and AGM on 21st March 2024. It’s first scheduled committee meeting will take place on the 1st of February 2024.
Covering a region with a hugely diverse range of business sectors, including:
Aerospace
Chemical plants
Construction Products
Energy Production
Inspection and analytical services
Oil & Gas
Petrochemical
Renewables
Steel and metal manufacturing / recycling
This new ICorr Branch is being specifically founded to help this region develop and share knowledge regarding corrosion and corrosion prevention.
The Branch is ideally placed to join these diverse industries as well as leading Universities, for not only sharing this knowledge but also helping to develop new ideas for corrosion prevention.
A major key to the success of the Branch will not only be the promotion and sharing of knowledge, but also the development of corrosion and materials engineers of the future.
The initial aims of the Branch include:
Having a focus on local industry needs and challenges within the broad subject of corrosion – with selected presentations from companies / academics etc.
Promoting, sharing, and learning between experts within the region.
Defining a yearly programme of meetings that generate discussions and promote learning across the region – guest visits / speakers / workshops / roadshows.
Encouraging interest from undergraduates, schools, apprenticeship programmes, and colleges within the area on this broad subject.
Committee meetings and social and technical events to be held across the Wales and South-West Region.
The first official event and inaugural AGM will be held on March 21st – 12pm – 2pm. Lunch will be provided. Committee members and their roles to be announced soon after the AGM.
Details of Event: The topic will be Microbiologically Induced Corrosion – Real world failures and how to prevent them. There will be two presentations, one by Sarah Bagnall, (Director of Consultancy Services at R-TECH) and one by Dr Gareth Williams, (Consultancy Services Manager of ECHA Microbiology). This will be followed by a Laboratory tour.
On 20th December 2023, the Aberdeen ICorr Branch were guests of IMechE for a Joint Event at the Sandman Hotel in Aberdeen. This end of year Celebration that was very well attended with around 60 guests and was chaired by Steve Cromar CEng, FIMechE, IMechE Aberdeen Chair. The evening commenced with a welcome Hot Buffet Dinner, which was an excellent choice for a cold winter night.
Tom Baxter BSc (Hons), FIChemE.
Tom Baxter a Chemical Engineering Consultant and founding member of the Hydrogen Science Coalition spoke on ‘Future Energies and Greenhouse Gas Reduction’.
Tom graduated from Strathclyde University in 1975 with a B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering (first class honours) and is a Fellow of the IChemE. He started his career with ICI Petrochemicals, moved to fine chemicals with the Swiss company Ciba-Geigy, before taking a position as a process engineer in 1980 with BNOC (British National Oil Corporation). Through privatisation and acquisitions, BNOC became Britoil, then BP. Here he worked as an operations engineer, a development engineer, and research manager. In 1991 he left bp subsequently held positions with Altra Consultants as Technical Manager, as Technical Director with Genesis in 1998, and became the Aberdeen Business Unit Director in 2005. Since 2010 he became a Senior Fellow in the Chemical Engineering Department at Aberdeen University, which he helped establish, and since 2003, he has been a visiting professor of chemical engineering at Strathclyde University.
This coming decade is extremely important for achieving reductions, and individual impacts are great. During his most interesting talk, key themes discussed were ways to use less energy and an eye- opening debate on the misconceptions about renewable alternatives, (in terms of actual energy efficiency breakdown from production through to final distribution), which was considered in great detail. Overall, electrification came out as a very safe and efficient energy source.
Industrial Hydrogen Use
The Hydrogen (H2) does have some favourable characteristics, particularly buoyancy and no carbon monoxide, but has a low calorific value. Generally, hydrogen compares unfavourably overall with methane properties and has limited applications presently. For example, it requires three times the amount of compression power to move it along pipelines, and much talk of blending hydrogen was not seen as a good idea, although a 20% blend has been much promoted of late by others presenting to the Institute.
H2 is considered applicable for transport (although passenger car-dominated) and for some specialised industries, e.g., steel making. There have been recent question marks over some H2-driven projects. Pau (in France) cancelled its H2 buses, and the Redcar hydrogen project was recently cancelled.
Full-electric vehicles are seen as the most energy efficient for trains only for low train passenger routes in the UK (8oo kms out of 15000 kms) but there are lots of hydrogen miscellaneous uses. Batteries are the key to the future progression of renewables. Presently, the accurate hydrogen retail cost is not clearly defined.
Tom also spoke of https://www.h100fife.co.uk/ a parliamentary party group with interests including Cadent / Shell / others – Projected costs to 2050 however are not considered reliable.
Tom Baxter (Seated) Chemical Engineering Consultant and Hydrogen Expert Presented.
Domestic Hydrogen Use
Vested interests, e.g., Catapult and EUA have recently promoted hydrogen for heating. Tom reviewed the outcomes of Hy4Heat. Its mission was to establish if it was technically possible, safe, and convenient to replace natural gas (methane) with hydrogen in residential and commercial buildings. Through a QRA study, they found that hydrogen was inherently less safe than methane, with three times as many potential events. Hydrogen usage requires more safety features and is 40% less energy efficient overall. Electric energy provides greater wattage.
Summary
Generally, with renewables, more government support is needed so as to give more headroom and the opportunity to recover capital costs over a longer period of time. Tom Baxter was extremely knowledgeable and provided a most interesting talk.
For more information refer www.h2sciencecoalition.com
Hydrogen Science Coalition | Bringing an evidence based viewpoint into the political discussion on hydrogen (h2sciencecoalition.com)
Members of the Aberdeen ICorr Committee, with New Member Stephanie Okoye Second from Left, with Guest Shukun Liu (Oceaneering) Far Right.
15 NW branch held a successful event at the University of Manchester on 29 November. The event heard about the fantastic ICorr Young Engineers programme from Danny Burkle and Saif Ramy. Paul Lambert also spoke about Professional Development before the audience also heard from Vincenzo Bongiorno about cutting-edge research into electrochemical noise machine learning. Special thanks to the NW Branch committee, Kathleen Brook at the University, and Izabella Gajewska at Intertek for their hard work in pulling the event together. The branch plans further collaborations with the University in 2024.
15 hardy souls attended an evening city centre tour of Newcastle on 30th November. The party met at the 3 Quarters Bar, The Common Rooms, near the historic Newcastle Central Station and was duly fortified, led by a wonderfully informative and entertaining guide around many of the sights, old and not so old. The first stop was the Bigg Market (it was a sheep market many years ago), followed by the Mediaeval West Wall from the 13th and 14th centuries, looking up at the huge edifice of the home of Newcastle United, St. James’ Park. It was then on to Old Eldon Square, the Monument (to Lord Grey of Earl Grey tea fame), and a walk down Grey Street, with its wonderful Georgian architecture. After a short refreshment stop at the Old George pub, another historic location in the Cloth Market, the walk continued down to the quayside via St. Nicholas Cathedral, the Newcastle Mediaeval Keep, and stopped on the quayside opposite The Glasshouse (formerly The Sage), music venue with great views up and down the river to the many bridges across the River Tyne, including the Swing Bridge, the newer Millenium Bridge and the Tyne Bridge itself. The tour finished at the Redhouse Pub with some food and refreshments. The feedback was excellent, new contacts were made and we thank our sponsors for the evening, Jotun, Safinah and CIM.
The branch held its 34th annual Christmas luncheon at the beginning of December at the Royal Overseas League in St. James’s. 150 guests enjoyed a four-course Christmas-themed lunch before being entertained by an after-dinner speaker. The event was hosted by George Winning, the new branch chair, who took over from Polina Zabelina in November.
Before Sitting Down to Eat, there Were Pre-Lunch Refreshments, and Time for the Guests to Meet Each Other.
The After Dinner Speaker, Ian Irving.
The After Dinner speaker was Ian Irving, a popular entertainer, who gave an amusing sport-themed talk which was appreciated by the guests.
On the 18th January, (moved from the scheduled date due to transport strikes in London), Michael Harrison, Global Product Director-Linings, Sherwin-Williams, gave a presentation on “The Examination of Lining Performance in Renewable and Biofuels and Feedstocks”, sub-titled “why storing feedstocks for biofuel production presents distinct challenges for the specification of tank linings”, at the usual venue, the Lancaster Hall hotel, Craven Terrace, Bayswater.
Michael has 35 years of experience in the protective coatings industry, responsible for the development and testing of heavy-duty solvent-free linings, with subsequent roles in business support and business development. He has also been the project lead in the revision of ISO 16961 (Petroleum, petrochemical, and natural gas industries—internal coating and lining of steel storage tanks).
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), biofuel use is growing at around 6% a year, and annual production to meet net zero emissions would need to reach over 10 EJ by 2030, requiring an average growth of around 11% per year. Biofuels have an important role to play in decarbonising transport by providing a low-carbon solution for existing technologies, such as light-duty vehicles in the near term and heavy-duty trucks, ships, and aircraft over the longer term. Indeed, according to the IEA, biofuel demand in 2022 reached a record high of 4.3
EJ (170,000 million litres), surpassing levels last seen in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, storing the lipid feedstocks necessary for the production of biodiesel, renewable diesels, and sustainable aviation fuels presents significant challenges for refiners. To avoid the degradation of tank linings and the subsequent corrosion of storage tanks and contamination of feedstocks, it is essential that proper consideration is given to the particular requirements of storing these materials, including the type of feedstock being stored, operating temperature, and storage duration. Failing to do so risks material contamination, tank corrosion, and even production delays. Increasing biofuel production presents one significant challenge for refiners; however, the lipid feedstocks required for biofuel refining have very different chemistries from fossil-based feedstocks, and it cannot be assumed that storage conditions—and the lining systems of storage tanks, in particular—are the same. To understand the issues faced by biofuel producers, a series of tests were conducted that revealed significant degradation of tank linings over time and at certain temperatures, raising important questions for refiners about how they store the feedstocks necessary for biofuel production and the temperatures to which they are exposed.
A two-stage test was carried out under NACE TM-0174 Procedure B, with test temperatures of 71°C, 82°C, and 93°C (based on project specifications), with evaluation at three monthly intervals extending to a minimum of 24 months. The tank lining systems evaluated included proven systems used in typical fossil fuel-derived feedstock storage applications: solvent-free epoxy phenolic, solvent-free epoxy novolac, and novolac vinyl ester glass flake. Feedstock media tested included a combination of waste cooking oil, waste cooking oil +1% water, beef tallow, and beef tallow + 1% water, as it has been reported that the presence of water accelerates the formation of free fatty acids, especially at higher temperatures.
Under phase one of the tests, the impact of higher temperatures on the test samples was apparent at relatively short exposure times. The effects of higher temperatures on solvent-free epoxy phenolic (which is rated at 135°C in crude oil) were apparent at 71°C. The effects of higher temperatures on solvent-free epoxy novolac (rated to 149°C in crude oil) were apparent at ~82°C. Both lining systems failed at 93°C. Broadly speaking, subjecting lipid feedstocks to temperatures above 60°C results in the production of Free Fatty Acids (FFAs) in lipid feedstocks, and the tests again revealed lower limits for these same two linings, with resistance up to 71°C and degradation above this temperature.
A second stage of testing involved two further elements the examination of the oil composition and how it changes at different temperatures, and the expansion of feedstocks to simulate the conditions in the earlier (water cooking oil) tests. Analysis of the oil composition revealed that, up to 60°C, vegetable oils remain reasonably stable with minimal degradation to FFAs after six months of exposure. FFAs are thought to be the aggressive component behind degradation, and this degradation accelerated at 71°C, where the oil degraded to ~12% FFA content after six months of exposure. At 82°C, the formation of FFAs is considerable (>30%). The degradation also appears to be time-dependent, with the FFA level increasing after only three months at temperatures higher than 71°C. This shows why there is no immediate breakdown and stresses the need for longer-term testing. (The normal recommended duration as per NACE TM-0174 procedure B
is 6 months).
Expanding the feedstocks to simulate the conditions in the earlier (water cooking oil) tests involved the addition of oleic acid alongside an unmodified control. This revealed a correlation with the results seen for waste cooking oil and beef tallow under phase one when laced with an additional 5% FFA, although samples with higher levels of FFAs showed rapid degradation. Analysis of these modified oils by both time and temperature of exposure clearly showed that the presence of additional FFAs accelerated the degradation of the oil. Indeed, FFA formation grew faster under these conditions.
Michael Answering Questions at the End of His Presentation.
Testing on these oils demonstrates that, as anticipated, a novolac vinyl ester system can handle the higher temperatures primarily due to the superior resistance to organic acids (such as the free fatty acids seen in renewable fuels.) However, they present greater complications (flash point, storage stability etc.) during application. The lessons learned from this performance evaluation have provided an array of selection tools for biofuel asset owners and facility managers to select the appropriate lining system for their specific processes and needs.
Michael was thanked for his interesting talk and presented with an ICorr pen in appreciation. Information about future branch presentations can be found on the back cover of this magazine, and on the events page of the Institute website. Currently all talks are being held in person at the Lancaster Hall hotel.
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