In the final part of this series, three industry panelists share their predictions on where the corrosion industry is going in the next 25 years and beyond.
For many decades the maritime industry has depended on icebreaker ships to forge a path through ice-covered waters so other ships can safely navigate the trade routes in the polar regions of the world. The effects of breaking ice can be extremely destructive to the steel hull of an ice-breaking vessel. Ice abrasion can damage the external hull’s protective coating, which leads to exposure of bare steel and rapid corrosion. To protect the hulls of these ships from corrosion, a combination of protective coatings and impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP) is often used.
To protect pipelines in a transit corridor where they crossed underneath the light-rail tracks, construction of the line included retrofitting the pipelines with a precast concrete box culvert casing and installing an impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP) system.
In April 2013, the Las Vegas Valley Water District attempted to install a 500-ft (152-m) deep anode bed for an impressed current cathodic protection system. Before the anodes could be installed, ground water began flowing out of the top of the hole at ~50 gal/min (189 L/m).
To assess internal and external corrosion in piping configurations that are unpiggable or difficult to assess, a novel dynamic pulsed eddy current technology integrated with a robotic inline inspection tool was developed that is capable of internally inspecting metallic pipes.
A novel, organic zinc-rich primer coating technology relies on a combination of zinc dust, hollow glass spheres, and a proprietary activator to provide cathodic protection with greatly improved mechanical properties (crack resistance) and adhesion.
Average annual salaries in 2016 are reported for corrosion professionals in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and Europe. A slight gain was seen for the United States and United Kingdom, while a larger increase was recorded in Canada.
Zinc-rich coated rail, which protects in the most corrosive of environments, is being supplied in longer lengths and is seen as ideal for track environments, such as those in tunnels.
The application of a coating can greatly reduce the amount of current required to obtain cathodic protection. In addition, good coating can significantly improve attenuation characteristics along a pipeline.
Investigators determined that the pipeline ruptured due to stress corrosion cracks on the outside surface, and the polyethylene tape coating applied to the pipe’s exterior surface as an anticorrosion technique had deteriorated over time.