The 64th Corrosion Science Symposium (CSS) was held jointly with Electrochem 2023 at the University of Bristol between September 10 and 12, 2023. The CSS has been held annually since its launch in 1960 by Prof. L.L. Shreir. The symposium is always an ideal opportunity for students and early career researchers in corrosion science from across the UK and Europe to congregate, discuss their work, share ideas, and, above all, enjoy themselves in a stimulating and friendly environment. This year, there were 20 talks and seven posters, and the UR Evans award plenary talk was given by Prof.
Nick Birbilis (Deakin University, Australia).
The Shreir Prize for the best student presentation went to James Rafferty (University of Manchester) for his talk entitled Environmental effects of a simulated AGR coolant on oxidation and carburization behaviour of type 316H stainless steel. His talk eloquently described the environmental effects of oxidation and carburisation of type 316H stainless steel, which is used within the super-heater and re-heater sections of the UK’s Advanced Gas-cooled Reactors. The effects of gas pressure, water vapour content, and applied stress on oxidation and carburisation were investigated. Unlike other studies, no significant changes in oxidation or carburisation as a function of water vapour in the gas were explored with the development of some critical insights and understanding.
Other symposium highlights included: Lawrence Coghlan (University of Manchester) gave an interesting overview of his work on the degradation mechanism of polyester powder coatings exposed to cyclic corrosion testing. In an effort to better understand the mechanism of crack initiation and subsequent degradation of coatings, powder-coated samples were exposed to cyclic corrosion testing experiments of various lengths to characterise the formation and subsequent development of defects within the coating. These defects and the development of cracks were linked with microstructural features within the coating and the substrate surface to better understand the mechanism of initiation and propagation. Amber Sykes (University of Leeds) reported her studies into the influence of CO2 partial pressures on the formation and protective characteristics of iron carbonate corrosion products. Specifically, under certain conditions, the precipitation of FeCO3 corrosion products on pipe walls can form a dense layer that protects the underlying X65 carbon steel from further corrosion. However, the level of protection offered by the corrosion product layer is highly sensitive to changes in environmental conditions. Amber used electrochemical tests to demonstrate how distinct FeCO3 layers develop and revealed how operating pressure affects FeCO3 formation rates.
Finally, one of the four poster prizes awarded by the Electrochem 2023 meeting was presented to Hector Arriba Gutierrez (Cranfield University) for his work on the SS Great Britain: Decarbonising the Unique Conservation System for the World’s First Iron Ship.
Electrochem 2023 and Corrosion Science Symposium (CSS) delegates
Shreir prize recipient (James Rafferty) and CSD Chair
Julian Wharton.
