Institute News Archives - Page 3 of 58

CEng Updates

New application are being processed and assessors are adjustinh to their new roles. The website is being updated to provide the documentation and processes as per the ICorr direct licence.

Our much-valued assessors come from varied backgrounds to review and assess the applications from ICorr’s wide-ranging membership. These volunteers are contributing to ICorr to support our members to attain the registration status with the Engineering Council.

Anthony Setiadi: Anthony is a chartered engineer currently working for Wood Thilsted, an offshore renewable consultancy. He has more than 20 years in the industry covering various energy and infrastructure roles and studied materials science at the University of Sheffield. He works in materials selection, coating and cathodic protection. He is also supporting ICorr as vice president and has been leading the ICorr registration process for the past 3 years.

Greg Brown: Greg is a senior materials engineer at Mott MacDonald, and he is currently chair of the ICorr Northwest branch. He is highly experienced in destructive and non-destructive testing and is a chartered engineer. He has been part of the Registration committee for the past 2 years.

Jim Preston: Jim is Managing Director of Corrosion Prevention Limited. He has worked in the fields of structural concrete repair and cathodic protection for over 30 years, including 15 years working for contracting organisations and latterly 15 years as a consultant. He is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of ICorr. He is a certified Level 4 CP Specialist in accordance with ISO 15257.

Ashokan Gopal: Ashokan Gopal is an electrochemical engineer and an industry-recognised cathodic protection expert in the UK with over 18 years of experience in the field of corrosion mitigation and cathodic protection. He is a chartered engineer with a master’s in corrosion control engineering from the University of Manchester. He is currently the vice-chair for the London ICorr Branch and an active member of the ICorr CPGB, working closely with the industry’s best minds. He is a certified Level 4 CP Specialist in accordance with ISO 15257.

Emilya Abdullayeva: Emilya is a senior corrosion engineer in SLB with 20+ years of experience in corrosion engineering, integrity chemicals, and microbiological control across upstream oil and gas operations. She has a master’s degree in engineering oil and gas and a PhD in corrosion inhibitors and MIC control in the oil and gas industry. Chartered Chemist from the Royal Society of Chemistry and Chartered Engineer from ICorr.

Ibtesam Hasan: Ibtesam is a chartered metallurgy and materials engineer with over 20 years of experience in offshore oil and gas. He currently manages P&L for IMR operations for the Fugro Middle East office. He holds degrees in metallurgy and materials and a PgD in corrosion control engineering, complemented by NACE and API certifications.

Azri Aziz: Azri is a chartered engineer and currently works as a senior corrosion engineer at Aramco. He has 14 years of experience in corrosion engineering and integrity management within the oil and gas industry. He holds a degree in Materials Engineering and an MSc in Corrosion Control Engineering, complemented by professional certifications from the American Petroleum Institute (API) and AMPP. Azri has a strong track record of developing and implementing integrity management strategies, ensuring asset reliability and driving industry best practices in corrosion control in operating assets.

Lian Ling Beh: Lian is a chartered engineer and professional member of ICorr. She is a materials and corrosion engineer with nearly 20 years of experience in asset integrity and management in the North Sea. Currently supporting operations across BP’s NS assets, providing consultation to multidisciplinary teams, including pressure systems, pipelines, mechanical and rotating equipment, structural integrity and lifting equipment.

Olubayo Latinwo: Olubayo is an asset integrity specialist with over 20 years’ experience across international oil and gas assets. He earned his PhD in Engineering Materials in 2012. Olubayo is a professional member of ICorr, IOM3 and IAM. He is also a Chartered Scientist and Chartered Engineer with the Science and Engineering Council, respectively, and also has multiple qualifications with AMPP and API. He has been part of the Aberdeen Branch of the Institute of Corrosion for 6 years in various roles, including Vice Chair. He has also been a formal PAC assessor for the MICorr grade for over 4 years with the Institute of Corrosion.

Syed Umair Niaz: Syed is a Chartered Scientist and Chartered Engineer with nearly 15 years of experience, having a degree in mechanical engineering with a strong focus on corrosion management, coating selection, and welding integrity. He has authored numerous publications in these fields and currently works with EDF France, based in the UK, leveraging his expertise to drive innovation and excellence. He is also serving ICorr as a member of the Professional Assessment Committee (PAC) and an assessor for CEng registrations.

ISO 15257 Level 4 Cathodic Protection Examination dates for 2026

Institute News, Latest News

LEVEL 4 ENGINEER EXAMINATIONS TO BS EN ISO 15257

Level 4 Certification of Competence is a requirement for the design of Cathodic Protection (CP) systems in all the BS, EN and ISO Cathodic Protection Standards. See the attached brochure on the ICorr CP Scheme and the Standards for more details.

It is expected that Candidates will already have Certification for Level 3 in the Sector in which they are applying and the requisite experience (see Preliminaries item 8 below). They must have passed the L3 Examination in that Sector, there is no dispensation.

Examinations:

All Level 4 examinations are presently held in Northampton at the Institute of Corrosion HQ, Corrosion House; see https://www.icorr.org They will be held typically 4 times per year; the facility is spacious, complies with UK Governments rules and guidance related to C-19. It is a short walk from the station; there is a modern budget hotel and parking nearby. Candidates are required to book one of the dates below; no other dates will be available. If one date does not suit you, choose another from the list. If there is limited demand for a particular date, we may cancel that from the programme and allocate your booking to the next examination date, whilst advising you. We will strive to avoid delaying your examination by more than 3-4 months. The examination is closed book, desk based, handwritten, with no practical element (this is in the mandatory L3) and is expected to take some 6.5 Hours, in 3 sessions with breaks between. A simple calculator, a Casio FX-991EX) will be provided; you will not be permitted access to any other electronic device. IF you are sitting the examination for more than one Sector (Buried, Steel in Concrete, Marine, Internals) you will need to sit for more than one date of those below:

Thursdays: 2026: 26 February, 4 June, 10 September, 26 November

Examination arrangements are:

Book and pay for the Examination at least 1 month before the date you plan to attend. Do not attend unless you have confirmation of your place from Corrosion House.

Start 0900 Hrs: Book in, identification (passport or driving licence with picture), remove mobiles, laptops, smart watches, calculators to locked facility. No access to these during the day. Tea or coffee.

Expect to start examination at 0930 Hrs

Core: Applies to all Sectors: 2.5 Hours, 0930 to 1200 Hrs If you have previously passed the Core Examination, you may, after notifying Corrosion House, plan to arrive no later than 1215 Hrs to book in as above and be ready to commence as below, or you can arrive during the morning and finish early:

Break for lunch (provided)

Design Sector Specific: 2 Hrs, 1245 to 1445 Hrs

Break for tea or coffee

Performance Assessment: Sector Specific: 2 Hrs, 1500 to 1700 Hrs

Collect mobiles, laptops, calculators etc and depart building 1715 Hrs

Preliminaries:

It is expected that candidates will only be sitting the Level 4 ISO 12527 examination if they are planning to apply to ICorr for certification for Level 4. This is an entirely separate process. It requires a separate application form and a certification fee; it involves an independent assessment of the candidate’s work experience, a refereed Application and a Dossier detailing completed complex projects.
All Candidates must be competent in all the key tasks and knowledge required at Level 3 in the CP Sector for which you are applying at Level 4. Accordingly, you must have a valid Level 3 Examination pass in all parts of the examination, the Core, the Sector Specific and the Sector Specific Practical Examination; there is no dispensation available to avoid this.
If you do not already have Level 3 certification and your cv clearly shows that it is likely that you do meet the experience requirements for Level 4, you can sit the Level 3 examination without attending the Level 3 Course. This includes the Level 3 Practical examination in the Sector(s) applicable to your intended Level 4 application(s). If you pass the examinations, you may choose to obtain L3 certification, but need not delay your application for L4, but if you fail the certification for L3 you will fail for L4.
At present there are no ICorr Level 4 Courses; you are expected to have learned the skills and gained the competence by working alongside CP Engineers or Specialists more experienced than you, preferably Certificated to Level 4, and by personal study and attending conferences and courses. This is expected to have taken some years of supervised design and other challenging CP work after your Level 3 certification.
The main difference between L3 and L4 is that the latter requires the competence and the experience of undertaking, without guidance, complicated and detailed CP designs. The full requirements are summarised as being competent in the of design cathodic protection systems, to establish and validate cathodic protection criteria and testing procedures, to interpret standards, codes, specifications and procedures, to designate the particular cathodic protection test methods and procedures to be used, to interpret the reported results of cathodic protection testing and use them in performance verification, to determine any remedial actions and to carry out and supervise all Level 1,2 and 3 duties.
Level 4 personnel shall have a detailed knowledge of corrosion theory, cathodic protection design, installation, commissioning, testing and performance evaluation including safety in at least one application sector, competence to undertake without supervision the design of complex cathodic protection systems in at least one application sector, sufficient theoretical knowledge and practical experience of cathodic protection to select cathodic protection testing methods, survey requirements and performance criteria. They shall have competence to evaluate and interpret results of cathodic protection performance in accordance with existing standards, codes and specifications, competence to assist in establishing testing and performance criteria where none are otherwise available and a general familiarity with cathodic protection in other application sectors.
The examination is designed to test these abilities. It will be challenging; some candidates will fail.
The separate certification procedure will more rigorously assess these by way of your experience and what you can document in terms of projects, including complex CP designs. Certification to L4 requires 3 to 8 years’ CP experience [dependent on qualifications] if progressing from full Certification at Level 3, or 5 to 12 years’ experience if applying directly for Level 4 after only passing the L3 examination. You may sit the L4 examination early, but the above experience requirements will be used in your certification assessment after you pass the examination. You will need to prepare a detailed dossier detailing more than one and ideally 3 detailed designs in each Sector. You will not achieve certification until your experience has been assessed and you are likely to be interviewed by the ICorr Professional Assessment Committee during this process.

Examination Booking Form

ICorr CED Announces Professor Damien Féron as the Winner of the 2025 Paul McIntyre Award

Institute News, Latest News

The Corrosion Engineering Division (CED) of the Institute of Corrosion is delighted to announce that Professor Damien Féron will receive the Paul McIntyre Award at the 2025 ICorr Annual General Meeting (AGM), to be held at the Henry Royce Institute in Manchester on Tuesday, 4th November 2025.

The Paul McIntyre Award is the highest honour presented by ICorr CED. It recognises a senior corrosion engineer who has not only made significant technical contributions, but has also championed European collaboration and international standards – reflecting the values and legacy of the late Professor Paul McIntyre.

Professor Féron has had a distinguished career at the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) and continues to serve as Scientific Adviser and Professor at INSTN, the National Institute for Nuclear Science and Technology. His work spans nuclear corrosion, marine corrosion, biocorrosion, and long-term prediction of corrosion damage, with wide-ranging applications in both civil and nuclear industries.

A globally recognised leader in corrosion science, Damien has authored or edited more than 25 books and special issues, delivered over 100 invited lectures, and participated in numerous international advisory boards. His international standing is matched by an unwavering commitment to collaborative science – evident in his leadership roles across the European Federation of Corrosion (EFC), where he served as Chairman of the Science and Technology Advisory Committee (2007-2013) and as President from 2017-18, and the World Corrosion Organization (WCO, President from 2019–2022)

Professor Féron was also instrumental in establishing and leading major educational and technical initiatives, such as the Nuclear Corrosion Summer School (NuCoSS) and the long-running LTC Workshops on corrosion prediction in nuclear waste systems. Through these and many other efforts, he has mentored a generation of corrosion scientists and engineers across Europe and beyond.

The Paul McIntyre Award is a fitting recognition of Professor Féron’s remarkable contributions to corrosion science, education, and international cooperation.

The award will be formally presented during the ICorr AGM in Manchester, jointly hosted by ICorr Northwest Branch and the Henry Royce Institute. Professor Féron will also be invited to contribute an article to Corrosion Management magazine.

H.G. Cole Award 2025

Institute News, Latest News

The Institute is delighted to announce that Brian Wyatt will be presented with the H.G. Cole Award at the 2025 ICorr Annual General Meeting (AGM), which will be held at the Henry Royce Institute in Manchester on Tuesday 4^th November.

The H.G. Cole Award is the highest honour that ICorr can bestow on an individual for their contribution to the success of its activities. It is awarded on an infrequent basis for exceptional services to the development of the Institute.

Brian is a long-standing senior figure within ICorr, having served as a Council member for several decades prior to stepping down in 2024. He was President of the Institute from 1987 to 1989. Very few people have made a more significant contribution to the success and financial sustainability of the Institute over such an extended period of time.

Brian has made important and wide-ranging contributions to the Institute in many areas, but perhaps most significantly in the training and accreditation of cathodic protection (CP) personnel. He was the driving force behind ICorr’s CP Training, Assessment and Certification Scheme, which has been instrumental in upskilling and certifying CP technicians, engineers and specialists in compliance with international standards.

Brian showed great vision in advocating for the establishment of an in-house CP training offering, which has led to a step-change in revenue streams for the Institute. He has also been influential in establishing hands-on training facilities in support of course delivery, including for marine CP at Blyth and buried CP in Sheffield.

Brian’s long standing commitment to the Institute has been second to none. His passion, energy and vision have made a major contribution to supporting the objectives of the Institute and securing its financial sustainability. The H.G. Cole Award is fitting recognition of these efforts.

Presentation of the award will take place at the ICorr AGM, which will be jointly hosted by ICorr Northwest Branch and the Henry Royce Institute. The AGM will be preceded by a series of technical presentations from renowned corrosion professionals in the region. If you would like to attend, please register here as places are limited.

The H.G. Cole Award is named after Henry George Cole, who was Chief Materials Engineer at the UK Ministry of Defence and a former ICorr President. For more information on the award, including previous recipients, please click here.

1st UK-China Corrosion Summit Report

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The very first UK-China Corrosion Summit, jointly organised by the Institute of Corrosion (ICorr) and the Chinese Society for Corrosion and Protection (CSCP), was held in Manchester on 3–4 September 2025. The meeting gathered leading academics, practitioners, and industry representatives from both countries under the theme – ‘AI Impacts to Corrosion Management within UK-China Energy Industry’.

Opening and Awards

The summit opened with welcoming remarks from ICorr President Dr Yunnan Gao, CSCP President Professor Xiaogang Li and EFC (European Federation of Corrosion) President, Professor Gareth Hinds, who highlighted the importance of international collaboration in tackling corrosion challenges.

An award ceremony followed when the ICorr President Dr Yunnan Gao presented the following ICorr Institute certificates to the recipients:

FICorr Certificates were presented to newly elected Fellows, Professor Xuequn Cheng and Professor Dake Xu.
TICorr Certificate was presented to newly elected Technician Member, Mr Jianjun Hu.
ICorr Scholarship Certificate was presented to Miss Xinyu Zhang, a Chinese student at the University of Manchester studying for an MSc in Corrosion Control under the Institute scheme.

Photo: ICorr President Dr Yunnan Gao Chairing the Opening Ceremony of the 1^st UK-China Corrosion Summit in Manchester on 3^rd September 2025

Photo: The President of EFC, Professor Gareth Hinds, Left, Giving the Opening Remarks During the Opening Ceremony of the 1^st UK-China Corrosion Summit

Photo: ICorr President Dr Yunnan Gao Presenting ICorr Certificate to the Recipient (Deputised by Mrs Jing Fang, ICorr Training Partner, China) during the Opening Ceremony

Photo: All Delegates of the 1^st UK-China Corrosion Summit

Day One – Technical Presentations

Over the course of the first day, a dense programme featured keynote lectures and technical talks from both UK and Chinese experts tackled frontier topics at the intersection of corrosion science and digital technologies.

Keynotes

Prof. Xiaogang Li (China, University Science and Technology Beijing) introduced the concept of “corrosion big data,” demonstrating how multi-scale data mining links microalloying, microstructure, environment, and corrosion rate to design new low-alloy steels with improved resistance.
Andrew Duncan & Dan Lester (UK, Intertek CAPCIS) debated whether AI is a “benefit or threat.” Duncan warned against over-reliance on algorithms in early-career training, while Lester argued that AI can reduce errors and improve decision-making when used with oversight.

Technical Presentations

Prof. Dake Xu (China, Northeastern University) explained how extracellular electron transfer drives microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC). He described biofilm processes at the genetic and interfacial level, and how this understanding can inform MIC-resistant materials and sensors.
Dr Henry Tan (UK, Aberdeen University) presented an AI-enabled framework combining Bayesian decision models with digital twins for subsea pipelines, offering real-time risk-informed maintenance planning.
Dr Wei Rong (China, China National Petroleum Corporation) described novel inhibitors for acidizing operations on non-magnetic steels. Her formulation using quinoline ammonium salt with thiocyanate showed strong performance in high-temperature HCl-HF solutions.
Dr Vincenzo Bongiorno (UK, University of Manchester) demonstrated machine learning for electrochemical impedance and noise data, automating model selection and surface damage classification for coatings and corroding systems.
Dr Yu-You Wu (China, Ningo Zhonghe) highlighted AI-powered inspections of offshore wind turbines, stressing the gap between promising academic results and limited industrial adoption, and calling for UK-China collaboration in this fast-growing sector.
Dr Prafull Sharma (UK, CorrosionRADAR) showed how predictive maintenance for corrosion under insulation can combine remote sensor data with AI analytics to forecast failure likelihood and optimise inspection schedules.
Prof. Lingwei Ma (China, University Science and Technology Beijing) presented a two-stage machine learning approach linking environmental factors, physical properties, and coating performance. The method improved prediction accuracy for degradation across diverse climates.
Dr Yifeng Zhang (UK, Imperial College London) outlined a hybrid inspection framework using reconfigurable sensors and robotics. His model improves detection reliability while reducing inspection frequency and cost.
Mr Xinpeng Lu (China, Shenzhen Coais Technology) described how AI agent technology can support corrosion integrity management. His system employs multi-agent data collection and reinforcement learning to enhance anomaly detection and optimise maintenance.
Dr Kevin McDonald (UK, Sonomatic) shared early applications of machine learning on ultrasonic inspection signals. His case studies showed potential efficiency gains in data classification and highlighted barriers such as dataset balance and industry acceptance.

The day concluded with an open forum, where speakers and delegates from both sides reflected on key themes. Discussions focused on the importance of high-quality data, the challenges of model transparency and interpretability, and the need for international collaboration to harmonise standards for AI-driven corrosion tools.

Photo: Andrew Duncan of Intertek CAPCIS Giving the UK Keynote Speech on Is Artificial Intelligence A Benefit or A Threat to Materials and Corrosion Engineering?

Photo: Session Chair, Professor Bowei Zhang of CSCP, Left, Presenting the Certificate of Appreciation to the Presenter of the Technical Presentation (Dr Henry Tan)

Photo: L-R, CSCP General Secretary Professor Xuequn Cheng, ICorr President Dr Yunnan Gao and EFC President Professor Gareth Hinds at the Closing Ceremony of the Day One Conference of the 1^st UK-China Corrosion Summit

Day Two – Visits and Engagement

The second day of the summit, 4^th September 2025, was dedicated to institutional and industrial visits for the Chinese delegation with ICorr Training Partners.

In the morning, at the University of Manchester, delegates toured laboratories in corrosion and materials science, including imaging and advanced characterisation facilities. The visit highlighted the university’s ongoing work in combining experimental and digital approaches.

Photo: One of the Four Groups of the China Delegation Visiting the Materials Laboratories of the University of Manchester on 4^th September 2025

In the afternoon of 4^th September 2025, the delegation travelled to Sheffield to visit Argyll Ruane, where they were given demonstrations in coating science, coating inspection, and non-destructive testing training – areas where ICorr certification and industry practice intersect closely.

Photo: China Delegation Visiting the Premises of Argyll Ruane (ICorr Training Partner, UK) in Sheffield

Conclusion

The inaugural UK-China Corrosion Summit successfully combined technical exchange with academic, industrial, and training engagement. By bringing together researchers, students, and industry practitioners from both countries, the event created a platform for knowledge sharing and laid the groundwork for continued collaboration between the corrosion communities of the UK and China.

Appreciation and Future Plan

ICorr extends its sincere thanks to the summit’s UK sponsors: exclusive Platinum Sponsor Argyll Ruane, Silver Sponsor – ICR Integrity, and Bronze Sponsors – Beasy, Corrodere, and Corrpro Europe, whose support made this whole event possible.

We now look forward to the 2^nd China-UK Corrosion Summit, to be hosted in China in 2026, continuing the spirit of collaboration and knowledge exchange established so well in Manchester.

2025 – Aberdeen Annual Corrosion Forum (ACF)

Aberdeen Branch, Institute News, Latest News

On 26th August 2025 the Aberdeen Branch again successfully held its annual corrosion awareness event at the Palm Court Hotel with key sponsor Automa.

The Aberdeen branch has been active for more than 40yrs now and has been providing awareness training since before 2010 through generous industry support and a dedicated committee.

This year’s Forum was kindly sponsored by Automa of Italy, specialists in automated monitoring and themed on Cathodic Protection (CP).

Automa provided the Venue and all Catering for the day.

Introductory talks on the principles and costs of corrosion were followed by a series of talks explaining Cathodic protection principles, methods and anode manufacture. Thereafter some excellent case studies presented some recent Cathodic protection applications in order to raise awareness of some of the practical considerations such as electrical isolation from plant, electrical interference and fault-finding methods for CP system commissioning.

The afternoon sessions continued with several presentations by the sponsor Automa on advanced CP system monitoring and AI assisted data management and analysis. Automa then provided some excellent demonstrations of their devices and their software both widely used within Europe.

This popular Annual event attracted 43 registrants including many from its 16 local sponsor companies and also from our ICorr national sustaining companies.

Proceedings will be posted to the Aberdeen branch web page in due course at https://www.icorr.org/aberdeen/ ‘Local Technical Programme’

The Aberdeen ICorr Committee expresses its immense gratitude to all Attendees, Speakers, Sponsors and particularly to its Event Chairs – Eilidh MacDonald/Stephanie Okoye and to Fatemeh Faraji, the ABZ Events Coordinator.

On September 30th, 2025, the branch will host its first Event of the 2025-26 Technical Programme. This will be a Joint Event with the TWI North Scottish Branch and entitled ‘From Snapshots to Continuous Insight: Driving Maintenance Efficiency and Safety with Automated UT Monitoring by William Vickers of Ionix Advanced Technologies / Leeds, U.K.

Attendees will gain practical insight into how automated, non-invasive UT monitoring is being applied in the field today to enhance safety, optimise inspection programmes, and improve long-term asset performance.

Aberdeen welcomes your attendance at future events of the branch. Please contact icorrabz@gmail.com if you have any queries at all, or if you wish to join its committee.