Before sitting down for the meal there were pre-lunch refreshments, and time for the guests to meet each other.
After the lunch, the guests were entertained by Gary Richardson. Garry presented the Sunday morning sports programme, Sportsweek on BBC Radio 5 Live until 2019, although he remained a sports presenter on the weekday morning Today show on BBC Radio 4 until September 2024. He gave a very interesting insight into his interviewing of sports stars over the years, after which the President, Yunnan Gao, gave a brief update on the Institute, before a raffle and time for networking. The branch would also like to thank the sponsors, Akzo Nobel, Carboline, Concrete Repairs Ltd, Corrodere, Corrpro Europe, Owens Corning, and Winn and Coales (Denso) Ltd., for supporting this event.
The first technical meeting of 2025 was held on 9th January, when Esteban Amirante of Beasy Ltd. presented “Implementation of a Digital Twin for an Offshore Structure.” Esteban has a degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s in business administration and is the International Business Development Manager at CM BEASY Ltd.
Esteban started by describing the concept of a “Digital Twin” and moved on to how this could be implemented for an offshore structure to revolutionise asset management far beyond simple 3D digitalisation. This innovation promises to transform how assets are managed and decisions are made. The “Digital Twin” provides a digital replica of an offshore asset, enhancing clarity and efficiency in managing corrosion control systems.
He explained that the current corrosion data management is plagued by fragmented data and time-consuming processes, but the “Digital Twin” concept can address these issues by offering a comprehensive, colour-coded visual representation of the asset, where green indicates expected conditions and red signals the need for attention. This tool goes beyond visualisation; it can integrate survey data and predict future performance, ensuring timely intervention and maintenance.
Key features include monitoring sacrificial anode depletion, remaining life, and mass. The “Digital Twin” can plan anode replacements, and predict protection potentials across the entire structure, moving beyond limited survey locations. It aligns with the asset’s lifespan, requiring minimal updates and providing systematic monitoring.
Additionally, the “Digital Twin” serves as an early warning system, predicting anomalies before they occur. It can simulate and explore various scenarios, empowering departments to make informed decisions based on predicted outcomes. This not only streamlines workflows but also unleashes significant cost savings and time efficiency.
In essence, the “Digital Twin” can be an innovative partner, enhancing decision-making and mitigating risks. Esteban concluded by stressing that the concept is not just a tool; it’s way to the future, where decisions are bold, operations are optimised, and risks are identified early.
After a very interesting Q&A session, the Chair thanked Esteban for his presentation, and presented him with an ICorr pen, in appreciation of his talk.
The branch AGM will be held on 13th March, at the slightly earlier time of 6.15 pm and will be followed by a presentation from the Chair, Paul Brooks.
Paul would be pleased to answer any queries on the Branch activities: Please contact him at Londonchair@icorr.org
Photo: Guests Enjoying Christmas Themed Meal.
Photo: Gary Richardson Sharing Insights into His Interviewing of Sports Stars Over the Years.
Photo: Esteban Amirante Delivering His Presentation.
Photo: Paul Brooks Presenting ICorr Pen to Esteban.
Following its launch earlier in 2024, the new Central Scotland Branch had an eventful and productive 2024, marked by significant growth in membership and excellent technical meetings. The number of companies and academic institutions represented in our meetings continues to grow. Sponsorship engagement sponsors has been remarkable—3 new companies have indicated interest in becoming branch sponsors, in addition to our two existing sponsors. The Chair, Dr. Philip Enegela, welcomes all enquiries on this matter.
On 27th November 2024, Graham Murray (Head of Metallurgy, Manufacturing Test and Equipment Qualification at Altrad Babcock) provided a seminal presentation on “Refurbishment and Improvement of Operating Assets” to close out the branch’s 2024 activities. It was a very stimulating talk that elucidated challenging modifications and repairs on long-lead, high-criticality fixed equipment that are safety critical in industrial assets. Case studies were presented covering intricate valves in power plants and pressure equipment in petrochemical facilities. Graham demonstrated how innovative thinking
and novel solutions are being used to help enhance asset longevity. Flyers and registration links will be issued in due course to members.
Interested presenters can contact cschair@icorr.org to supply abstracts for consideration for the 2025-2026 technical programme.
The Central Scotland Branch remains committed to collaborating with other Institutes of repute. Discussions are underway with the Institution of Engineers in Scotland (IES) for a joint meeting in 2025.
The Branch has a full and very varied programme up to Summer 2025. Presentation topics include:
Topic
Month
Presenter / Company
Deep optimisation for cathodic protection: advanced technology for transformer rectifiers output current optimisation.
January
Nicolas Rossi, Automa srl
Cost-effective corrosion protection using two-pack epoxy coatings in an aerosol and protecting nozzles and flange faces, using alternatives to hand coating.
February
Graham Greenwood-Sole, Corrocoat
Linings and PFP (Cementitious or Epoxy).
March
Robert Allan, Carboline
Selection of internal coatings for pressure vessels.
April
Simon Daly, Safinah Energy & Infrastructure
Enhancing spot-welding efficiency: assessing the precision of response surface methodology in predicting optimal parameters.
May
Ahmed Elgahani, Brega Petroleum Marketing Co.
Catching the IR-free potential: an overview of the remaining IR components in off measurements and the importance of the design for PRE with integrated coupon.
June
Ivano Magnifico, Automa srl
Composite repairs for pipework—standard and advanced.
July
Stuart McKay
Photo: Graham Murray (Head of Metallurgy, Manufacturing Test & Equipment Qualification at Altrad Babcock), November 2024 Presentation.
Photo: Delegates for the November 2024 Presentation.
In early November 2024, ICorr Aberdeen was pleased to announce the very first Joint Webinar Week between ICorr and CSCP (Chinese Society for Corrosion and Protection) which consisted of five lunchtime presentations held over an eight-day period.
No
Date
Speaker Name
Job Title
Organisation
Presentation Title
1
Monday 11th November 2024
Dr Anqing Fu
Director of corrosion research team
CNPC Tubular Goods Research Institute
Corrosion research progress in oil and gas and new energy industry.
2
Tuesday 12th November 2024
Professor Yong Xiang
Professor and doctoral supervisor
China University of Petroleum, Beijing
Spontaneous inhibition phenomena of corrosion in CCUS system and their mechanisms.
3
Thursday 21st November 2024
Dr Di Wang
Associate professor of material science and engineering
Northeastern University, Shenyang
The mechanism and protection of microbial corrosion in oil and gas field.
4
Friday 22nd November 2024
Dr Mindong Chen
Associate Research Fellow
SINOPEC Research Institute of Safety Engineering, Qingdao
Optimising corrosion resistance of low-alloy steel for the refining industry by corrosion big data methods.
5
Monday 25th November 2024
Dr Xinpeng Lu
CEO
Corrosion X Technology Co., Ltd.
Progress in the application of generative artificial intelligence in the cathodic protection industry.
Summaries of the webinars are shown in the table below, which included five individual presentations from members of CSCP. The CSCP/ICorr Webinar series was arranged by ICorr President-elect Dr Yunnan Gao and President Stephen Tate, after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the 22nd International Corrosion Congress held in Xi’an, China.
The five sets slides have all now been uploaded to ICorr website with the link as https://www.icorr.org/aberdeen/ Refer to local technical programme.
Meeting Recordings: All the five meeting recordings have also been uploaded to ICorr YouTube channel at ICorr YouTube Channel.
Summary Post on LinkedIn: The summary of this event has been posted on linkedIn. The link to the post is LinkedIn Post for ICorr-CSCP Webinar Week.
Presentation 1 – Corrosion Research Progress in Oil & Gas and New Energy Industry by Dr Anqing Fu
Dr Anqing (Andy) Fu is the Director of Corrosion and Protection Research Center of CNPC TGRI (Tubular Goods Research Institute of China National Petroleum Corporation). Dr. Fu graduated from University of Calgary in 2010 and obtained PhD degree in energy and environment. Andy has more than 14 years of working experience in corrosion and protection of the oil & gas industry, and he specialises in electrochemical corrosion, stress corrosion cracking, corrosion failure analysis of OCTG, anti-corrosion techniques (inhibitor, organic/metallic coating, and clad pipe) R&D, and pipeline and wellbore integrity management.
Abstract: Corrosion is a great threat in the oil and gas industry, including upstream oil and gas fields, middle-stream transmission pipelines, and downstream refineries. Much more attention needs to be paid to corrosion not merely due to the economic issue in terms of oil and gas loss but also to safety and environmental considerations. Firstly, several typical case studies of downhole tubing and gathering pipeline corrosion collected from the field were analysed. Secondly, microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) in the shale gas production system was investigated. MIC is prevalent in the shale gas production system due to the bacteria generation in recycled fracture fluid. Thirdly, Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS) is a substantial measure to realise carbon neutrality, while CO2-induced corrosion is nonnegligible. Typical failures in terms of supercritical CO2 corrosion, sour impurity gas-induced stress corrosion cracking, and packer rubber sealing failure were analysed in CCUS-CO2 injection and production wells. Fourthly, hydrogen is regarded as the ultimate clean energy; pipelines are regarded as the most economical and effective means for transporting H2 in a gaseous state. The difference between gaseous hydrogen and ionic (cathodic) hydrogen-induced damage to pipelines was compared, and three typical facilities for gaseous hydrogen-mechanical interaction, gaseous hydrogen permeation, and content tests by TDS were introduced. Finally, corrosion protection technologies developed by CNPC TGRI, including inhibitors, organic coatings, and metallurgically clad pipes, were introduced; moreover, several challenges for corrosion and protection research in the oil and gas and new energy industries were summarised.
Presentation 2 – Spontaneous Inhibition Phenomena of Corrosion in CCUS System and Their Mechanisms by Professor Yong Xiang
Yong Xiang serves as a professor and doctoral supervisor at the College of Mechanical and Transportation Engineering, China University of Petroleum, Beijing. He is the director of the Laboratory for Low Carbon Energy Equipment and Materials Protection and the deputy dean of the Ocean Engineering Institute. He received both his bachelor’s and doctoral degrees from Tsinghua University, and he was also the post-doctoral researcher of Ohio University. Yong Xiang is an active member of several committees under the China Society for Corrosion and Protection, including the Corrosion Inhibitors and Water Treatment, Oil and Gas Field and Pipeline Corrosion and Safety, and Non-metallic Corrosion-Resistant Materials committees.
Abstract: Carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) technology has been considered for reducing CO2 emissions and improving energy efficiency. However, during the capture process, impurities such as O2, SO2, and NO2 are present, which accelerate corrosion of transportation pipelines and wells. Nevertheless, research also found several interesting corrosion inhibition phenomena in the system. This study summarised the spontaneous corrosion inhibition phenomena during the capture and transportation process and outlined the corresponding inhibition mechanisms. These included the corrosion inhibition mechanisms of the degradation products of organic amines and the inhibition behaviour of SO2 on CO2 corrosion processes. Additionally, this study also proposed several corrosion inhibition methods in CCUS system. Understanding these corrosion inhibition mechanisms is considered crucial for corrosion control of CCUS facilities.
Presentation 3 – The Mechanism and Protection of Microbial Corrosion in Oil and Gas Field by Dr Di Wang.
Di Wang is an associate professor of material science and engineering at Northeastern University in Shenyang, China. He focuses on the mechanism and mitigation research of microbiologically influenced corrosion in the oil and gas industry. His research activities are aimed at deciphering the electron transfer mechanism of classic corrosive microbes of sulphate-reducing bacteria, investigating eco-friendly natural D-amino acids as green biocide enhancers combined with commercial biocides to kill the bacteria, and modifying the microbial sample methods in the oil and gas field.
Di Wang obtained his doctorate degree at Ohio University in Athens, United States, in 2022. From June 2022, he continued his research of MIC in the oil and gas industry at Northeastern University. He has published 27 peer-reviewed research papers, including 16 first-author papers. He also joined the working group—AMPP Standard 21495 of Laboratory Evaluation of the Effect of Biocides on Biofilms.
Abstract: Microbial corrosion of metal materials in the oil and gas field industry causes serious economic losses and threatens energy security. For the mechanism research of microbial corrosion, deciphering the electron transfer mechanism of microbes in a complicated oil and gas environment is a critical point to having a better understanding of microbial corrosion. Electron mediators like riboflavin and magnetite nanoparticles promote the indirect electron transfer and distinguish electron transfer microbial corrosion from other corrosion. Both could be useful tools in a microbial corrosion sensor to distinguish the corrosion mechanism. The indirect electron transfer mediated by hydrogenase genes plays a role in promoting sulphate-reducing bacteria corrosion, but it was not found to be a dominant role in the corrosion process, which denied the previous classical theory of Cathodic Depolarisation Theory coming out in 1934. For the protection research of microbial corrosion, physical methods like pigging and chemical treatments such as biocide dosing are used to mitigate microbial corrosion in the oil and gas industry, but they lead to problems like environmental concerns, high operational costs, and low efficacy in the same system after prolonged applications. Alternatively, eco-friendly natural D-amino acids as green biocide enhancers combined with commercial biocides to kill the bacteria can be used to block the electron transfer between bacteria and metal surfaces and disperse the sessile cells from the metal surfaces.
Presentation 4 – Optimising Corrosion Resistance of Low-Alloy Steel for the Refining Industry by Corrosion ‘Big Data’ Methods by Dr Mindong Chen
Dr Mindong Chen is an associate research fellow at the Department of Equipment Safety at the SINOPEC Research Institute of Safety Engineering, Qingdao, China. Mindong undertakes technical R&D in the field of equipment safety at the SINOPEC Research Institute of Safety Engineering and the National Institute of Hazardous Chemicals Safety (Qingdao). His primary research areas include material corrosion and protection, equipment condition monitoring, and equipmentintegrity management. He has published over twenty SCI papers, including two ESI Hot Papers, and holds more than thirty patents. Chen serves as a reviewer for multiple international journals and has led projects funded by the National Key R&D Program of China, SINOPEC Corporation, and the National Natural Science Foundation of China. His achievements include a First Prize in Science and Technology Progress from the Chinese Society for Corrosion and Protection, a Second Prize in Management and Technological Innovation from the China Association of Plant Engineering, a Third Prize in Technological Invention from SINOPEC Corporation, and a Second Prize in Management Innovation from the SINOPEC Corporation.
Abstract: The refining and chemical industry plays a crucial role in national economic development and is integral to national industry. Among materials used in this industry, steel is predominant, facing complex corrosive media and environmental loads. Mindong Chen has focused on the corrosion mechanisms within typical environments, aiming to improve the corrosion resistance of metal materials by leveraging corrosion big data and addressing the material requirements for crude oil refining equipment. Key areas of focus have included: Interface-diffusion behaviour in corrosion of low-alloy steel: Chen’s research has investigated the electrochemical corrosion behaviours of low-alloy steel under the kinetic and diffusion-controlled phases. Mechanisms and correlation rules of alloy elements in inhibiting corrosion diffusion: For long-term service materials, specific corrosion resistance indicators, such as corrosion product film thickness and FeO OH content, have been analysed. Chen has correlated these indicators with alloy composition using methods like Spearman and Pearson correlations, as well as non-linear mutual information, achieving high consistency with traditional theories. The optimisation theory of corrosion resistance for low-alloy steel in corrosive environments has been utilised: In complex, multi-factor environments, a complex relationship exists between alloy components and corrosion resistance. By applying neural networks, Chen has established quantitative relationships between environmental factors, alloy elements, and corrosion resistance indicators. Through high-throughput time-scale correlation, this work has provided an optimised alloy composition formula tailored for multi-factor coupled corrosion environments, based on microalloying strategies. His report presented in detail Chen’s work in advancing the theoretical and practical understanding of corrosion resistance in steel alloys within the refining and chemical industry.
Presentation 5 – Progress in the Application of Generative Artificial Intelligence in the Cathodic Protection Industry by Dr Xinpeng Lu.
Dr Xinpeng Lu is CEO of Corrosion X Technology Co., Ltd., based in Shenzhen, China. Dr. Lu has 18 years of experience in the field of corrosion and protection of oil and gas facilities, integrity management, and artificial intelligence. Dr. Lu is a Director of the Chinese Society of Corrosion and Protection (CSCP), a member of the specialised Society on Cathodic Protection Technology, and a member of the specialised Committee on Intelligent Diagnosis of Facility Health. Additionally: • A member of International Gas Union (IGU) Transmission and Distribution Committee. • An AMPP Cathodic Protection specialist (CP4), Integrity Management Technologist (PCIM). • A Manager-level member of British Gas Association (IGEM). • A Member of Standardisation Committee of China City Gas Association. Dr Lu has directed and implemented the cathodic protection gas and storage support project, which won the highest award for civil engineering in China, the Tien-yow Jeme Civil Engineering Prize, twice, in 2021 and 2022.
Abstract: This paper reviewed the application status and development trend of generative artificial intelligence technology in the cathodic protection industry. As an important technical means for metal corrosion protection, cathodic protection has particular problems such as complex data analysis and high experience dependence in its design, monitoring, and maintenance. With the rapid development of generative AI technologies such as large language models (LLM) and diffusion models, new ideas have been provided to solve these industry problems. This paper introduced the application of generative AI in cathodic protection design optimisation, including parameter configuration optimisation and protection potential distribution prediction; secondly, it analysed the application cases in cathodic protection system operation monitoring, such as anomaly detection and life prediction; and discussed the practice in the field of maintenance decision support, including fault diagnosis and maintenance suggestion generation. Studies have shown that generative AI technology can effectively improve the design efficiency and operational reliability of cathodic protection systems and has broad application prospects. However, in practical applications, it still faces challenges such as model accuracy, generalisation ability, and knowledge updating. In the future, it is considered necessary to further strengthen algorithm innovation, data accumulation, and industrial practice to promote the in-depth application of generative AI technology in the field of cathodic protection.
The Aberdeen branch was very proud to be asked to host these prestigious presentations for which there were extensive question and answer sessions, documented in the five meeting recordings uploaded to the ICorr YouTube Channel at ICorr YouTube Channel Feedback to date has been extremely favourable, and a further series of ICorr-CSCP joint webinars will take place later in 2025. Please contact the Aberdeen Branch Chair meiling.cheah@gmail.com if you wish to present, or for any further information on upcoming events and check www.icorr.org/events/
Photo: Dr Anqing Fu.
Figure 1: Dr Anging Fu. in the Opening Presentation at the CSCP/ICorr Webinar Series.
On Tuesday, 26th November 2024, at the Palm Court Hotel, the Institute of Corrosion (ICorr) Aberdeen Branch held its annual joint event with IOM3/MIS (The Mining Institute of Scotland). Sarah Bagnall, of R-TECH Materials and Branch Chair of Wales and South-West, gave an excellent presentation on Failure Analysis—An Insight into Forensic Investigation, Failure Mechanisms and Prevention.
Presenter: Sarah Bagnall
Sarah is both a Materials Engineer and Chartered Engineer specialising in failure analysis, particularly for the petrochemical, oil & gas, and power generation industries. With over 700 failure investigations conducted to date.She has broad experience of a wide range of engineering components, metallic and non-metallic materials, and industries. Over the last 10 years, Sarah has developed specialist expertise in the corrosion and thermal degradation of austenitic stainless steels. She is also the Chair of the recently formed Wales and South-West England branch committee for the Institute of Corrosion.
Presentation Outline
When engineering plant, equipment or components fail in service, the consequences can have the potential to be catastrophic for human safety and well-being, the environment and/or continuity of operations. On a lower level, the effect of such occurrences can include the requirement to reschedule production, the execution of emergency repairs, and missed customer deliveries. The impact of plant failures is undoubtedly negative for plant operators; however, determining the root cause of such failures presents an opportunity to learn from the experience. Adopting such a philosophy is critical to the continual improvement of global plant safety, performance, availability, and reliability while reducing maintenance costs.
Conducting an effective Root Cause Analysis (RCA) investigation provides the opportunity to understand and critically analyse all of the factors that have contributed towards a plant failure. Failure analysis is an essential tool that can be used within an RCA investigation to characterise defects that have caused or contributed to a plant failure event. Determining and understanding the failure mode and prevailing circumstances is critical to being able to deduce the root cause of the failure. When a material fails, it leaves behind a trail of evidence, which can be pieced together to determine the cause of failure. R-Tech Materials have a range of qualified experts, investigative equipment, and services for materials failure analysis which identify failure mechanisms encountered within the oil and gas industry. The range of study techniques and equipment required will be demonstrated through some case studies relevant to the industry.
Gathering the Evidence
To gather evidence for a failure investigation, it may be required to perform site visits if the components or structures are in situ. Detailed information would be gathered through dimensional checks, photography and sometimes it may be required to perform on-site testing such as cutting samples, NDT or replicates of fractures. Otherwise, if components are shipped to a laboratory more extensive analysis techniques can be used using chemical analysis, microscopy, sample sectioning or performing hardness testing and cutting tensile or other test samples from items for evaluation. In certain situations, it may be necessary to carry out corrosion testing, impact testing, or fatigue testing on prepared samples to establish site materials performance versus expected materials.
A significant part of the failure analysis exercise is the gathering of information from site about the conditions of service’ This involves studying:
Type of plant and operational mode (e.g. continuous, cyclic, intermittent)
Material grades used
The process conditions (i.e. flow rates, temperature, pressure, process fluids composition and general operating environment)
Any specific circumstances surrounding failure
Inspection intervals and servicing
Service length of component vs expected life
Materials failure can be due to one of a range of factors, some basic, such as overloading or incorrect specification of materials, and others more complex, such as stress corrosion cracking (SCC), which involves loading in combination with surrounding media or environment.
Specific Case Studies
Failures investigations were demonstrated through a series of 5 most interesting case studies. Case 1 – Fractured flange of 304 Grade Stainless Steel bolts on oil tanker fuel transfer line.
The failure mechanism was identified as polythionic acid stress corrosion cracking. This occurs due to the formation of sulphide scales in the presence of sulphur compounds, which then react with air and moisture during start-up and shutdown to form sulphur acids (polythionic acid). The sulphur is thought to have formed due to exposure. to an environment containing hydrogen sulphide. In the presence of a tensile stress within the bolts, the acid attacked the sensitised austenitic stainless steels adjacent to the chromium-depleted grain boundaries, producing intergranular cracking.
Case Study 2 – Investigation was conducted on a failed propeller shaft from a Pilot Vessel made of duplex stainless steel.
In this instance, Zinc anodes in form of shaft bracelets had been employed as cathodic protection (CP) system.
The shaft fracture showed river lines radiating from the Keyway this being a brittle fracture mechanism with advancing crack-front and multiple cracks radiating. Deposits from within the cracking zone contained significant levels of chlorine and sulphur.
Further analysis of the mechanism showed fatigue crack growth, but the fracture was mainly put down to hydrogen-induced stress cracking (HISC) due to the presence of over-protection of the duplex stainless with localised zinc anodes.
Hydrogen atoms can often form as a consequence of CP over-protection voltage of -1050 mV vs. the lower required ~ -550 mV for DSS against a Silver/Silver Chloride reference electrode. Protection limits for duplex stainless steels (DSS) had therefore been considerably exceeded, and atomic hydrogen had been absorbed in the metal matrix, leading to hydrogen cracking.
Detail of the 3 other case studies can be found in the slide upload to members site https://sites.google.com/site/icorrabz/resource-center
The Aberdeen Branch provides a very full technical program of both in-person and online events. Abstracts of potential papers for the Aberdeen Technical Programme are always welcome for consideration, and anyone wishing to present should correspond soonest with the 2024/2025 Chair and Technical Programme Co-ordinator: meilingcheah@gmail.com
Further information about the Aberdeen Branch and other past presentations may be found on their website page: Aberdeen Branch – Institute of Corrosion. https://www.icorr.org/aberdeen/ under Local Technical Programme and to join the Aberdeen Branch mailing list, please contact: icorrabz@gmail.com
Photo: Sarah Bagnall, of R-TECH Materials.
Presenter: Sarah Bagnall
Sarah is both a Materials Engineer and Chartered Engineer specialising in failure analysis, particularly for the petrochemical, oil & gas, and power generation industries. With over 700 failure investigations conducted to date.She has broad experience of a wide range of engineering components, metallic and non-metallic materials, and industries. Over the last 10 years, Sarah has developed specialist expertise in the corrosion and thermal degradation of austenitic stainless steels. She is also the Chair of the recently formed Wales and South-West England branch committee for the Institute of Corrosion.
Presentation Outline
When engineering plant, equipment or components fail in service, the consequences can have the potential to be catastrophic for human safety and well-being, the environment and/or continuity of operations. On a lower level, the effect of such occurrences can include the requirement to reschedule production, the execution of emergency repairs, and missed customer deliveries. The impact of plant failures is undoubtedly negative for plant operators; however, determining the root cause of such failures presents an opportunity to learn from the experience. Adopting such a philosophy is critical to the continual improvement of global plant safety, performance, availability, and reliability while reducing maintenance costs.
Conducting an effective Root Cause Analysis (RCA) investigation provides the opportunity to understand and critically analyse all of the factors that have contributed towards a plant failure. Failure analysis is an essential tool that can be used within an RCA investigation to characterise defects that have caused or contributed to a plant failure event. Determining and understanding the failure mode and prevailing circumstances is critical to being able to deduce the root cause of the failure. When a material fails, it leaves behind a trail of evidence, which can be pieced together to determine the cause of failure. R-Tech Materials have a range of qualified experts, investigative equipment, and services for materials failure analysis which identify failure mechanisms encountered within the oil and gas industry. The range of study techniques and equipment required will be demonstrated through some case studies relevant to the industry.
Gathering the Evidence
To gather evidence for a failure investigation, it may be required to perform site visits if the components or structures are in situ. Detailed information would be gathered through dimensional checks, photography and sometimes it may be required to perform on-site testing such as cutting samples, NDT or replicates of fractures. Otherwise, if components are shipped to a laboratory more extensive analysis techniques can be used using chemical analysis, microscopy, sample sectioning or performing hardness testing and cutting tensile or other test samples from items for evaluation. In certain situations, it may be necessary to carry out corrosion testing, impact testing, or fatigue testing on prepared samples to establish site materials performance versus expected materials.
A significant part of the failure analysis exercise is the gathering of information from site about the conditions of service’ This involves studying:
Type of plant and operational mode (e.g. continuous, cyclic, intermittent)
Material grades used
The process conditions (i.e. flow rates, temperature, pressure, process fluids composition and general operating environment)
Any specific circumstances surrounding failure
Inspection intervals and servicing
Service length of component vs expected life
Materials failure can be due to one of a range of factors, some basic, such as overloading or incorrect specification of materials, and others more complex, such as stress corrosion cracking (SCC), which involves loading in combination with surrounding media or environment.
Specific Case Studies
Failures investigations were demonstrated through a series of 5 most interesting case studies. Case 1 – Fractured flange of 304 Grade Stainless Steel bolts on oil tanker fuel transfer line.
The failure mechanism was identified as polythionic acid stress corrosion cracking. This occurs due to the formation of sulphide scales in the presence of sulphur compounds, which then react with air and moisture during start-up and shutdown to form sulphur acids (polythionic acid). The sulphur is thought to have formed due to exposure. to an environment containing hydrogen sulphide. In the presence of a tensile stress within the bolts, the acid attacked the sensitised austenitic stainless steels adjacent to the chromium-depleted grain boundaries, producing intergranular cracking.
Case Study 2 – Investigation was conducted on a failed propeller shaft from a Pilot Vessel made of duplex stainless steel.
In this instance, Zinc anodes in form of shaft bracelets had been employed as cathodic protection (CP) system.
The shaft fracture showed river lines radiating from the Keyway this being a brittle fracture mechanism with advancing crack-front and multiple cracks radiating. Deposits from within the cracking zone contained significant levels of chlorine and sulphur.
Further analysis of the mechanism showed fatigue crack growth, but the fracture was mainly put down to hydrogen-induced stress cracking (HISC) due to the presence of over-protection of the duplex stainless with localised zinc anodes.
Hydrogen atoms can often form as a consequence of CP over-protection voltage of -1050 mV vs. the lower required ~ -550 mV for DSS against a Silver/Silver Chloride reference electrode. Protection limits for duplex stainless steels (DSS) had therefore been considerably exceeded, and atomic hydrogen had been absorbed in the metal matrix, leading to hydrogen cracking.
Detail of the 3 other case studies can be found in the slide upload to members site https://sites.google.com/site/icorrabz/resource-center
The Aberdeen Branch provides a very full technical program of both in-person and online events. Abstracts of potential papers for the Aberdeen Technical Programme are always welcome for consideration, and anyone wishing to present should correspond soonest with the 2024/2025 Chair and Technical Programme Co-ordinator: meilingcheah@gmail.com
Further information about the Aberdeen Branch and other past presentations may be found on their website page: Aberdeen Branch – Institute of Corrosion. https://www.icorr.org/aberdeen/ under Local Technical Programme and to join the Aberdeen Branch mailing list, please contact: icorrabz@gmail.com
Photos: Metallograghic Examination of Materials by Sectioning for Grain Structure and Crack Presence. Fracture Surface Study by Stereographic and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM).
Photo: The Most Common Root Causes of Failure.
Photo: Duplex SS Propeller Shaft in-Situ with Zinc Bracelet Anode.
Photos: Stereographic Image of Fracture, SEM Image for Surface with XRF Analysis and a Metallographic Section Showing Crack Character.
The Institute of Corrosion (ICorr) is glad to formally launch the ‘ICorr India Branch’ effective from 28th January 2025.
Meet the ICorr India Team
Dr. Arpit Goyal
Dr. Arpit is Chair of the ICorr India branch. He is serving as an Assistant Professor in the Civil Engineering Department at the Thapar Institute of Technology. He has extensive research experience in the area of the durability of concrete, novel cementitious materials, corrosion protection, electrochemical techniques, and cathodic protection of steel in concrete. He has successfully patented a new conductive anode paint for impressed current cathodic protection of reinforced concrete structures during his Ph.D. and post-doctoral fellowship.
He has also worked on various consultancy projects related to the testing of corrosion inhibitors and conductive paints for preventing corrosion of steel in concrete. At present, he has published more than 12 journal articles, various national and international conference papers and book chapters.
Dr. Shweta Goyal
Dr. Shweta Goyal is Vice-Chair of the ICorr India Branch. She is a professor in the Civil Engineering Department at the Thapar Institute of Technology. She earned an M.E. and PhD in Structures and Civil Engineering from Thapar University, Patiala, India. She was awarded Gold Medal during B.E. (Civil Engineering) and M.E. (Structural Engineering). She has handled various research projects sponsored by Govt. of India agencies like DST (Department of Science and Technology) and UGC (University Grants Commission) and industry-sponsored research projects amounting to more than INR 400 lakhs. Her research is oriented towards sustainability of reinforced concrete structures. She is the co-convener of the working group for revision of BIS 12594. She has more than 100 publications to her credit.
Dr Shagufta Khan, Editor CMJ
Dr. Shagufta Khan is Secretary – External of ICorr India branch. She holds a PhD from Homi Bhabha National Institute, DAE (Department of Atomic Energy), India. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Corrosion and an AMPP-certified Corrosion Specialist, with 17 years of experience in research, academia, and training. Dr. Khan has published 18 research papers in international journals and conference proceedings and has presented her work at numerous international conferences. She is the Guest Editor for MDPI’s Sustainability Special Issue, “Sustainable Materials, Manufacturing and Design,” and the Technical Editor of the Corrosion Management Magazine, published by the UK Institute of Corrosion. She specialises in electrochemical corrosion, stress corrosion cracking, corrosion failure analysis, corrosion protection techniques (Inhibitors and coatings).
Dr. Prasanna Kumar Behera
Dr. Prasanna Kumar Behera is currently working as Assistant Professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering at IIT Tirupati. He is Secretory Internal of ICorr India branch. He holds a PhD, M. Tech., and B. Tech. in Civil Engineering. His primary research interest is durability and condition assessment of concrete structures, and he works in reinforcement corrosion in concrete. He worked on understanding the importance of government schemes in promoting urban infrastructure and economic growth, and as part of this, he worked in the ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH)-funded project titled “Employment creating effects of highway construction” at IIT Kanpur. Dr. Prasanna has academic merit awards like ‘Outstanding PhD thesis award from IIT Kanpur’, and also has regularity awards in his credit, and is an active reviewer in international Journals of ACI, ASCE etc.
J N Agrawal
N. Agrawal holds B. Tech in Electrical Engineering and MBA in Marketing Management. He has a long and varied experience of 40 years in oil and gas industry in pipeline projects and operation and maintenance. He specialises in corrosion management of oil and gas pipelines including Cathodic Prorection. He superannuated from service in 2015 after an active engagement of 33 years. Presently he is doing independent work in the field of corrosion management of pipeline. He is CEO of Corrsol Tech. He has presented several papers on different topics on corrosion control in AMPP and ASME conferences. He has been awarded in 2023 for his contribution in the field of corrosion science and technology in industrial organisation by AMPP India Chapter. He is CP4 from ICorr UK. He is event coordinator of ICorr India. He is author of books on Cathodic Protection and pipeline integrity management. He conducts training on Cathodic Protection and pipeline integrity management as well.
Amarjeet Singh
Amarjeet Singh is a Research Scholar in the Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Department at Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh, the current research focus involves investigating the development of magnesium alloy for both orthopaedic and structural applications utilising casting methods. Furthermore, heat treatment is conducted on magnesium-based alloys to enhance their serviceability. Mg and its alloys are known to exhibit early corrosion resistance issues, and as part of this research, the surface modification of Mg alloys using both organic and inorganic materials is explored to improve their corrosion resistance. He is University Liaison and CPD Officer at ICorr India.
ICorr India-Technical Event
With an intention to provide an academic-industry outlook to the researchers and other working professionals working on corrosion, an online lecture series by specialised subject experts is being organised by the Branch. The first lecture of the series “200 years of CP and OPC” was presented by Prof. Paul Lambert, on January 28th, 2025.
Prof. Paul Lambert has over 40 years of experience in the investigation of structural durability and degradation and in the development of novel remedial techniques for civil and building structures, most recently as Head of Materials and Corrosion at Mott MacDonald. He became one of the three inaugural Mott MacDonald Fellows in 2023. Paul is Visiting Professor at the Centre for Infrastructure Management at Sheffield Hallam University where he carries out research into novel materials and repair technologies.
Additional Information
For Continuing Professional Development (CPD) or to join ICorr India mailing list, request by Email to: arpit.goyal@thapar.edu
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