The consequences of corrosion can be fatal, costly and have severe environmental consequences. In the USA alone, corrosion has been estimated to cost the petroleum industry around US$8 billion a year. Ultrasonic in situ corrosion monitoring techniques are currently already deployed in the field to monitor and ensure the smooth operation of facilities. In this project we explore pushing the accuracy of ultrasonic corrosion measurements to its limits. In a very well controlled laboratory setup we can demonstrate that monitoring wall thickness to a precision of the order of 50nm possible. We can therefore monitor the effect of changes in the corrosiveness of a liquid substance in a short period of time and gain insight into the corrosion process while also monitoring the structural integrity of a component. We aim to explore the use of these techniques in laboratory studies to gain further insight into the corrosion process and we aim to transfer findings into measurement practice in the field.
Sponsor
EPSRC