Corrosion Engineer or Corrosion Specialist opening

I'm looking for an experienced corrosion engineer or corrosion specialist for Kinder Morgan in Houston. Apply here.

New NACE International website

See the newly revamped NACE International website.

The Effects of Sour Candy

The Minnesota Dental Association has started a campaign to combat the effects of acidic drinks and candies on tooth corrosion. They've compiled a chart of listing several popular sour candies, some of which are more acidic than battery acid. More details here.

Corrosion Manager position in Houston

El Paso is looking for a manager for their Corrosion Control Services group in Houston. See link for details.

Corrosion job

Looking for a senior corrosion specialist in the Midland/Odessa area. See link for details.

Watching Paint Dry

Amazing video of paint drying under a microscope.

Washington State Issues Record Fine in Tesoro Refinery Explosion

The Washington Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) determined that the explosion that killed seven workers at the Tesoro petroleum refinery in Anacortes, Washington could have been prevented. L&I fined the company $2.39 million for 39 “willful” violations and five “serious” violations of state workplace safety and health regulations. This is the largest fine in the agency’s history.

A heat exchanger at the refinery ruptured around 12:30 a.m., April 2, 2010, releasing hydrocarbon vapor that then ignited. The incident occurred during maintenance on the Naphtha Hydrotreater (NHT) process unit. During routine operations involving an on-line switching of unit heat exchanger feed trains, a feed-effluent heat exchanger catastrophically failed, due to high temperature hydrogen attack (HTHA), releasing a hot, pressurized flammable hydrocarbon/hydrogen mixture. Seven workers, five men and two women, died as a result. It is the worst industrial disaster in the 37 years that L&I has been enforcing the state’s workplace safety law, the Washington Industrial Safety and Health Act.

The heat exchangers were nearly 40 years old and were subjected to extreme heat and pressure, wide temperature and pressure swings, extensive chemical exposure and a near doubling of production over the years. These are all stresses that can damage this equipment, including causing cracking.

From Washington L&I press release.

Hoax Email - Aircraft Corrosion

There is an email going around, your Corrosion Blog editor has received it, called Aircraft Corrosion. The email is discussed on the extremely useful and entertaining "fact-checking" urban legends website snopes.com here. Public awareness of the dangers of corrosion is beneficial but spreading false tales is not. If you receive this email, I suggest that you do not forward it and reply to the sender letting them know that the email is a hoax, with the link to the snopes site (or this post).

The pictures are from a simulation of an actual crash in 2007. The failure was attributed to out-of-spec structural member that ultimately failed due to fatigue cracking. The pilot was able to eject safely and suffered a broken arm, dislocated shoulder, and cuts and bruises.

There I was just flying along, enjoying the flight...

And what's so cool is they actually pay me to do this!

Hmmm... What's that strange sound? Something feels different!

Hey, why am I looking up?

Whoa here. Controls aren't working.

Time for a mirror check. ?Hey, where's the rest of my F-15?

Uh oh, it's over there.? I think I've got a definite 'Aw, hell' going on here.

I gotta wonder, am I the first guy to ever experience 'cockpit-airframe separation anxiety?'

OK, enough is enough! I'm outta' here! But first, the canopy has to go...

OK, now it's my turn. I'm gonna be gone - soon as I find that frickin' lower handle.

Oh yeah, that's what I'm talking about.

This 'incident' caused the USAF to ground its fleet of F-15's.

How about the guy who took these pictures? Just when it looks like it's going to be just another 'average day at the office'.. You never know!

What caused the mid air break up? The main "longeron" (stringer) behind the cockpit failed due to corrosion.

NTSB Says Corrosion Found on Marshall, Michigan Ruptured Pipe

Close-up view of the section of pipe containing rupture

In testimony to a U.S. House of Representatives committee today, National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman provided an update on the progress of the NTSB's investigation into an oil spill in Marshall, Michigan in July. Investigators found corrosion on the exterior surface of the accident pipe piece and the second pipe piece, and found surface cracks and indications of corrosion on the ruptured pipe. Government investigators estimate that between 800,000 and 1 million gallons of oil spilled as a result of the Marshall pipeline rupture.

For the full trascript of Ms. Hersman's testimony, see here.

For more information on the pipeline incident, see here.

U.S. Probes Gulf Oil Fire Involving Paint Crew

Federal authorities are investigating the cause of a blaze that broke out Thursday (Sept. 2) while a 13-member painting and cleaning crew was working aboard an oil and natural-gas platform in the Gulf of Mexico. U.S. Coast Guard helicopters planned this weekend to survey the site of Mariner Energy Inc.’s Vermilion Block 380 platform, about 100 miles off the Louisiana coast, to determine whether the platform was leaking oil.

From SSPC's PaintSquare News.

St. Louis Gateway Arch Showing Rust and Decay

Almost 45 years into its reign atop the St. Louis skyline, the 630-foot monument is suffering from growing rust and decay. And nobody knows how extensive. Corrosion, some of it feared aggressive, and severe discoloration of the stainless steel skin have long been present, according to engineering reports reviewed by the Post-Dispatch. ... The problems are increasingly evident, with streaks and spots marking the upper reaches of the Arch exterior.

From stltoday.com via LinkedIn.

For more about the Gateway Arch, see here and here.

Plains All American Pipeline to Pay $44.25M for Oil Spills

Cleanup in Homochitto National Forest in Mississippi;
photo courtesy of the US EPA.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Justice Department announced that Plains All American Pipeline and several of its operating subsidiaries have agreed to spend approximately $41 million to upgrade 10,420 miles of crude oil pipeline operated in the United States. The settlement resolves Plains’ Clean Water Act violations for 10 crude oil spills in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Kansas, and requires the company to pay a $3.25 million civil penalty

Approximately 6,510 barrels (273,420 gallons) of crude oil were discharged from various pipelines and one tank owned and operated by Plains into navigable waters or adjoining shorelines in the states of Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Kansas. Most of the spills were caused by corrosion on the pipelines.

The $3,250,000 civil penalty will be paid to the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund.

From the EPA website.

PRCI Selects Cliff Johnson as Next President

The Board of Directors of Pipeline Research Council International, Inc., (PRCI), has selected Clifford M. Johnson to be its next president. Cliff Johnson comes to PRCI from NACE International, where he has held a variety of positions during his 13-year career. His most recent position was as NACE’s Director of Public Affairs where he led several of NACE’s legislative initiatives. Mr. Johnson will succeed George W. Tenley, Jr., who is retiring at the end of the year.

The Corrosion Blog offers its most sincere congratulations to Cliff!

From the PRCI Newsroom.

Corrosion Found on Enbridge Pipeline Prior to Leak

Federal regulators say earlier tests found corrosion along the pipeline that sent thousands of gallons of oil rushing into the Kalamazoo River this week and that, as recently as two weeks ago, its owner was talking about replacing pipe sections. No cause for the spill has been released, and it was not immediately known whether problems found in the earlier testing were in the area of the spill, or whether that part of the pipe was targeted for replacement.

Enbridge's Line 6B response website here.

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration corrective action order here (PDF, 322k).

National Transportation Safety Board announcement here.

From Detroit Free Press.

RAS Syndrome in Corrosion

RAS syndrome stands for redundant acronym syndrome syndrome and refers to the redundant use of one or more of the words that make up an acronym or initialism with the abbreviation itself, thus in effect repeating one or more words. Usage commentators consider such redundant acronyms poor style and an error to be avoided in writing, though they are common in speech. The term "RAS syndrome" is itself a redundant acronym, and thus is an example of self-referential humor.

From Wikipedia

I can think of several terms commonly used in corrosion, including AC current or DC current, AC current attenuation, DA assessment, SCC cracks, CSE electrode, etc. Corrosion engineers are very fond of their TLAs.

Corrosion Books

Looking for a book on corrosion? Here are some ways to find what you're looking for. Click on these links, then modify my search criteria to narrow down your search.

Google Books

NACE Store

ASM International (Materials Information Society) Books

Amazon Corrosion Books

Corrosion Books on the Kindle

Book Recommendations from the Corrosion Doctors

Azom (A to Z of Materials) Books

We Are All Safer

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) was established by the United States Congress in 1967 to investigate and determine the causes of accidents in all modes of transportation. Since then, the Safety Board has investigated more than 110,000 aviation accidents and thousands of railroad, marine, highway, and pipeline accidents. The Board is recognized as one of the world’s premier independent accident investigation agencies
because of the expertise it has accumulated in more than three decades of experience.

This 1998 NTSB report We Are All Safer (PDF, 1.1Mb) lists NTSB-inspired improvements in transportation safety, involving aviation, railroad, marine, highway and highway bridges, pipelines, and hazardous materials transportation safety, many related to corrosion issues.

NACE International Names New Executive Director

From the NACE International press release (PDF, 99k):

NACE International today named Robert (Bob) H. Chalker as its new Executive Director. Chalker has served as Managing Director & CEO of ASQ Global, a wholly owned subsidiary of the American Society for Quality, for the past year and half. Prior to ASQ Global, Chalker served as Director, Global Development and Strategic Planning at SAE International for five years. From 1981 – 2003, Bob worked for Delphi Corporation where his most recent assignment was as Sales Director and Global Customer Manager. Bob earned his MBA at Oakland University (Rochester, Michigan) and completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Cincinnati, where he received a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering. He and his wife Kim will be relocating to Houston, TX. They have two grown children.

NACE International, the Corrosion Society, based in Houston, Texas, has over 23,000 members in 110 countries. It is recognized worldwide as the largest professional association dedicated to protecting people, assets, and the environment from the impact of corrosion. It was founded in 1943, and offers technical training and certification programs, sponsors conferences, and produces industry standards, reports, publications, and software to prevent and mitigate corrosion.

SS Great Britain

The steam ship SS Great Britain, launched in Bristol in 1843, was the first large ocean-going ship with an iron hull and a screw propeller. On her maiden voyage across the Atlantic the Great Britain easily broke the previous speed record. Although effectively a prototype, she continued sailing until 1886, and travelled thirty-two times around the world and nearly one million miles at sea. She was finally abandoned in the Falkland Islands in 1937 after more than 40 years use as a floating warehouse. In 1970 an ambitious salvage effort brought her home to Bristol where she was originally built.

Conserving the more than 160-year-old iron hull on this site [dry dock in the Great Western Dockyard, where she was built between 1839 and 1843] is exceptionally difficult as the dock was a damp environment, and moisture in the air made the process of corrosion continue quickly. Exposure to rain and moisture in the air (humidity) in Bristol allowed the ship to continue to corrode, particularly accelerated by salt infestation in the wrought iron structure.

The site has many papers relating to the corrosion mitigation efforts here.

Quoted text from SS Great Britain site.  Photo by Photo by Matt Buck.

Blogging the Periodic Table

Sam Kean is blogging about the periodic table on Slate Magazine in conjunction with his new book, The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World From the Periodic Table of the Elements.

Creepy Corrosion

From Dean Cemetery, Edinburgh, Scotland. Photo by David Ross, used by permission. From an image search on Flickr.

Corrosion art

http://electromagneto-studio.blogspot.com/

US Department of Defense Corrosion Defense website

The DoD Corrosion Defense (CorrDefense) Web Site is a state-of-the-art corrosion prevention and control information management and distribution e-portal sponsored by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition Technology and Logistics (OUSD(AT&L)), Office of Corrosion Policy and Oversight. The website has been designated as one of the cornerstones in the DoD's long-term strategy for corrosion prevention and mitigation detailed in 10 U.S.C. 2228, which was enacted by the Bob Stump National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2003. CorrDefense is a free service for all individuals and organizations from Industry, Academia, and Government who have an interest in corrosion, particularly as it relates to DoD weapon systems, equipment, related commercial assets, and infrastructure.

CorrDefense.org

Cycle of Corrosion

http://www.corrosion-club.com/cycle.htm

Rectifier safety

http://employment.alberta.ca/documents/WHS/WHS-PUB-FR_2004-08-09.pdf

Nations's First B.S. Degree in Corrosion Engineering

The University of Akron will launch the nation's first baccalaureate program in corrosion engineering when the fall 2010 semester begins in August. The innovative program and its potential impact on our everyday lives and the regional economy, were highlighted in this editorial by Michael Douglas
, the Akron Beacon Journal editorial page editor, on Sunday, June 6, 2010.

For the entire article, see the University of Akron's newsroom here. For more information, see the UA Corrosion and Reliability Engineering homepage here.

Onshore Oil and Gas Industry Leads Industrial Maintenance Coatings Segment

According to the “U.S. Paint & Coatings Industry Market Analysis (2008-2013),” which was published by The American Coatings Association (ACA) and The Chemark Consulting Group, Inc., industrial maintenance coatings accounted for approximately five percent of the volume of paint sold in the U.S. and about six percent of the total value of paint sales.

U.S. Census data revealed that total industrial maintenance shipments for 2008 were 73.3 million gallons equaling $1,225.3 million. This represents a slight decrease in volume of three percent and a one percent decrease in value over 2007.

Commercial architectural is the fastest-growing end-use segment of industrial maintenance coatings. This segment also commands the highest gross profit margins, according to the report.

From Coatings World.

Onshore Oil and Gas Industry Leads Industrial Maintenance Coatings Segment

According to the “U.S. Paint & Coatings Industry Market Analysis (2008-2013),” which was published by The American Coatings Association (ACA) and The Chemark Consulting Group, Inc., industrial maintenance coatings accounted for approximately five percent of the volume of paint sold in the U.S. and about six percent of the total value of paint sales.

U.S. Census data revealed that total industrial maintenance shipments for 2008 were 73.3 million gallons equaling $1,225.3 million. This represents a slight decrease in volume of three percent and a one percent decrease in value over 2007.

Commercial architectural is the fastest-growing end-use segment of industrial maintenance coatings. This segment also commands the highest gross profit margins, according to the report.

From Coatings World.

Sticking Your Hand into Molten Lead

Making a batch of lead anodes and accidentally stick your wet hand briefly into the casting pot? You'll probably be okay, according to the MythBusters show. The Leidenfrost effect works in this case the same way you can touch a hot iron and not get burned. The good stuff starts at around 1:55.


From kottke.org, home of fine hypertext products.

Just to be clear, I am telling you not to try this yourself.

Keeping Corrosion at Bay

http://www.che.com/news/Keeping-Corrosion-at-Bay_5725.html

Given the recent focus on cost control, it’s likely that chemical processors will suffer sticker shock when they learn that industry spends $276 billion annually on corrosion prevention, monitoring and repair. Even more abrasive is the fact that this figure does not include the cost of downtime or accidents resulting from corrosion damage. However, as capital spending allowances continue to come under tighter scrutiny, asset management and sustainability become crucial, and installing the right corrosion monitoring system can help bolster these efforts, while actually controlling corrosion prevention, monitoring and repair costs.

As the economy is slow to rebound, there are two key phrases in the chemical process industries (CPI): asset management and sustainability, notes Michael McElroy, business development manager with Pepperl + Fuchs (P+F; Twinsburg, Ohio). “People are paying more attention to anything related to reliability and sustainability, especially when it concerns safety and environmental discharges. And, all of these hot-button topics are affected by corrosion,” he says. “To ensure both proper management of assets and sustainability of equipment, processors must know the condition of their piping, tanks, valves, pumps and other assets. They must know when they need maintenance to avoid shutdowns or accidents. And, corrosion monitoring is an integral part of these focus areas.”

Corrosion monitoring perks are many. They range from high-value benefits (such as accident and shutdown avoidance) to mid-range value advantages (including optimizing the life of equipment by not having extensive wear) to lower-range, but still significant, value that stems from knowing when and what kinds of maintenance are actually needed based on knowledgeable predictions (instead of replacing parts on a time-based schedule) to recognizing and maintaining the sweet spot of corrosion inhibiting chemicals.