Institute News
The October presentation was given by Anthony Setiadi, Wood Thilsted Partners, on the ongoing challenges in corrosion protection of foundations for offshore wind technologies. This was a well-attended hybrid event, joint with LMS had approximately 60 attendees, split 2/3rds in person and 1/3rd online.
Anthony Setiadi
The offshore wind industry growth is rapidly accelerating as the world is pushing towards renewable energy sources. Wind turbines often need to be installed on foundations which are in aggressive environments that are prone to corrosion if not protected and / or designed with corrosion in mind. There are various offshore wind foundation types, such as, monopiles, jackets, tetrabases, gravity bases and floating structures, often grouped in vast arrays for reasons of economy.
The presentation was primarily focused on monopile foundations and the design considerations that would need to be taken onboard. Monopiles have both internal and external surfaces needing protection. Coating requirements and different cathodic protection systems (i.e. galvanic and ICCP) were discussed for the internal and external of the MP. Anthony stressed that there were challenges regarding positioning of the CP system and installation concerns which needed to be considered along with any simultaneous operations that need to happen offshore during the installation phases, e.g. piling operations that limit placement of anodes on the primary structure.
The main consideration is how the structure would behave with and without corrosion protection, especially the fatigue critical components such as the girth welds. The other consideration would be the site condition which will vary across the different wind farm locations and in some cases, a clustering strategy for varying sets of marine and geological conditions may be needed.
In addition, a corrosion protection plan must be developed and agreed well in advance, which then needs to be followed through to completion, including input to operation and maintenance strategies to ensure that the structure integrity is not compromised throughout design life.
This very interesting presentation was followed by a comprehensive Q&A session. Anthony was then presented with an ICorr pen by Paul Brooks.
The November meeting had unfortunately to be held online only, due to the TFL tube strike. The presentation was given by Roland Anderson of Axess-Corrosion Inc., about new solutions to problems related to intrusive corrosion monitoring systems, and learn about, and evaluate, innovations relating to the safety of these monitoring devices. Roland Anderson has over 20 years’ experience in the Oil & Gas industry focused on internal corrosion monitoring programmes globally, and has developed and established businesses in many locations including the UK, Middle East, Australia, China, and the USA.
Typical offshore wind monopile foundation (Wood Thilsted).
Roland Anderson
Roland first looked at some examples of incidents ranging in severity from loss of containment to fatality, in particular a fatality in 2012 which sent shockwaves throughout the industry, and the many operators who had not serviced access systems under line pressure due to risk management concerns, and which was highlighted in an ‘Learning from Incidents Action Alert’ published by Shell in 2012.
Corrosion monitoring devices are designed to be changed out under live process pressure, negating the need for the process to be shutdown, utilising an access system and specialised retrieval equipment. The access systems can be either mechanical or hydraulic, and the systems are also used for the installation of erosion, scale, hydrogen monitoring devices, and chemical injection and sampling hardware.
There was a trend, sparked by the 2012 incident, and fueled by technology companies, to move towards non-intrusive monitors. His company supply, install, and data manage these systems, which provide good value, but when talking about corrosion monitoring, it’s often actually chemical performance monitoring, and this cannot achieve the level of insights required to optimise chemical performance with ultrasonics. Intrusive and non-intrusive sensors are complementary, and the trend towards non-intrusive is driven by the need to convert inspection to monitoring, opposed to replacing one system with another.
Corrosion coupons, the backbone of traditional monitoring systems, at low to moderate corrosion rates, can detect the performance of chemical injection programmes 2 years before inspections. Electrical Resistance (ER) probes are complementary to coupons, and are used to obtain very accurate data over short periods of time to enable chemical injection optimisation. ER probes can also be designed for erosion monitoring.
This table provides examples of the time it takes to detect metal loss.
Institute News
Thank you. It feels appropriate that I start my final article as president with a thank you to all of you as ICorr members. In my two years as president, I have seen what all past presidents say – that the strength of ICorr is its people. Leaders can help shape direction but it is our members that make things happen, and so many of you give your time and resources that prove that. In todays very busy world where so many things compete for our time, I have not ceased to be amazed by the generosity of so many
of you.
As I said in my first president writes article two years ago, it is an honour to be the ICorr president, and my time in the role has made me more conscious of that. Our Institute is a phenomenal organisation where we work hard to fulfil our mission to “Advance Science and Engineering in the Prevention of Corrosion”.
Over the last few years ,we have had our challenges – most notably the Covid pandemic and the global economic downturn. Despite these we have continued to perform well and found new ways of working to mitigate them. I would point to the use of digital tools such as virtual meetings and social media that have helped us.
At our recent Annual General Meeting, which was held virtually, we had very positive reports. Our membership is growing, our training courses are in high demand and our finances are in a very strong place. If you were not able to attend the meeting, I’d recommend looking at the annual report or presentation that can be found in the members area of the ICorr website. It is very encouraging.
Thus, I feel I’m handing over the Institute in good shape and, more importantly, into the excellent hands of Stephen Tate, who was unanimously voted in as our new president at the AGM. Stephen will bring fresh ideas and initiatives to us and I know you will all support him as you have me. Congratulations Stephen, I know you will enjoy the role as much as I have.
Before I close, I’d like to express my gratitude to my fellow trustees and council members who work really hard and have given me so much support, guidance and wise council. My presidency has been much the better for that – thank you.
As ever, your ideas and feedback are important to us so please continue to let Stephen know what you like and where you think we can improve, using the president@icorr.org email. More importantly, if you’re not actively engaged and would like to be please let us know – we have lots of opportunities!
Kindest Regards,
Bill Hedges
Institute of Corrosion: Immediate Past President
Institute News
Welcome to the last issue of 2022, which is a bumper issue with several articles covering the topical subject of transportation of hydrogen and CO2 as a means of achieving net zero emissions. This includes a report on the Aberdeen presentation from Rosen, the Fellow’s Corner article from Frank Chen, and the ask the expert answer from Gareth Hinds. Due to the depth of information in the Fellow’s Corner articles, there are only two technical articles in this issue. These cover fabric maintenance in the oil and gas sector, and one aimed at our Young Engineers on Knowledge Transfer.
I hope you enjoy this issue, and remember to let me know if there are any topics you would like to see covered in future issues. I can be contacted at, brianpce@aol.com.
Finally, I would like to offer readers my good wishes for the festive season, and to wish you all a Happy New Year.
Brian Goldie, Consulting Editor
Email: brianpce@aol.com
Institute News
The Professional Development and Training Committee (PDTC) was established by Council in 2006 with responsibility for technical, development and management matters, relating to all ICorr Training and Certification schemes, Continuing Professional Development (CPD) schemes, and courses. PDTC reports directly to the ICorr Council.
Additionally, the committee addresses the key aims of ICorr, including expansion of the membership, and promotion of the science, engineering, and technical aspects of corrosion control to the
wider public.
PDTC liaises with the Membership Development Committee, Young ICorr, CED, CSD, PAC, and any other relevant committees in initiating and developing new training schemes and courses.
There are presently two sub-committees, the Surface Treatment Governing Board and the Cathodic Protection Governing Board, who report directly to the PDTC Chair, as do the two scheme managers for Surface treatment and Cathodic protection related course work and examination material delivered by, or
on behalf of, ICorr. A further Engineering
Training Governing Board is being considered.
Roles and Responsibilities of PDTC
The PDTC manages the delivery of the ICorr Training Schemes, and Professional Development schemes of the Institute where appropriate, in conjunction with course providers.
PDTC also reviews the technical content of training courses submitted by the two sub-committees for approval, this is a robust mechanism to ensure the content is not only suitable for the market demand commercially, but technically suitable to enhance the portfolio of ICorr offerings and continue to improve course availability to the market place.
Who sits on PDTC?
PDTC consists of a Chair (currently David Horrocks), and this position is appointed by Council. At present there are 10 members offering technical support from a wide range of disciplines within their expert fields such as Cathodic Protection (CP), Coatings, Inspection, ISO Standards, and other corrosion
related topics such as Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion (M.I.C).
To be eligible to be a member of, and indeed vote on PDTC, the individual members of PDTC must be Professional Members of ICorr with a good understanding of ICorr processes and be able to contribute to the Institute’s ethics in terms of corrosion control and mitigation.
The present members of the PDTC are the vice president, past presidents of ICorr, surface treatment and CP scheme managers, and sub-committee chairs, consultants, and technical experts.
ICorr encourages all its members to get involved with the Institute and would welcome anyone wishing to participate in any of the working groups/committees to contact, president@icorr.org
Institute News
Magic Training LTD: A Premier Construction Training Centre in Wembley have become an ICATS approved training centre. Magic Training Ltd. was born out of the need to prepare construction professionals for the modern world of construction engineering possibilities, and has to be part of the next generation of trainers to deliver competent, accredited, and innovative workforce.
Even though they are a young company, their assessors and trainers are chartered members of CIOB and IOSH, with over 12 years’ experience in construction management and health and safety.
All their courses are accredited by the relevant authorities, including CIOB, IOSH, EAL, CITB, ProQual, and now CORREX. Because of their approach, they are becoming an industry benchmark for construction training.
Their current programmes include national vocational qualifications from levels 2 to 7, and electrical and painting courses including, Industrial Coating Applicator (ICA). They also have a variety of short courses on site management safety, site supervision safety, and IOSH working safety.
Apprentice update
Two of the ICorr time served apprentices, who also achieved distinction marks, Pat Maj and Rory Voulgaris, are now working in the Falklands, over 8,000 miles away. They are working on a project there for employers, Jack Tighes, talk about taking your skills to a different part of the world!
Institute News
The Institute of Corrosion is pleased to announce the new MIC training courses in 2023. Both the Awareness and Certified MIC Technologist proficiency levels will be offered, at ICorr headquarters, twice next year as follows:
April 2023
• Awareness (one day course) on the 12th
• Certified MIC Technologist (5-day course) from the 17th to the 21st
October 2023
• Awareness (one day course) on the 4th
• Certified MIC Technologist (5-day course) from the 23rd to the 27th.
An MIC Technologist attendance certificate is available for attending the 4-day course without taking the certification exam.
Please contact admin@icorr.org for registration.
There are several car parks nearby and hotels within walking distance of the ICorr office, including Ibis and Park Inn. It is recommended to make provisional booking as early as possible to secure a competitive rate. Also, ICorr HQ is only a short walk from Northampton train station.
