【Corrosion Technology Edition】Daily Question 20170829: To what extent does metal corrosion pose a threat to daily life and the national economy?

The corrosion of materials poses significant harm to daily life and the national economy. Corrosion can cause leaks in underground water pipes, and the rusting of bicycle chains can undermine the reliability of those bikes’ operation; furthermore, corrosion-related leaks can pollute the environment, bringing many inconveniences to people’s lives. Each year, metal corrosion results in the loss of approximately 10–20% of metals, consuming limited natural resources and simultaneously wasting a great deal of energy. Not only that, but the catastrophic accidents caused by metal corrosion pose a serious threat to people’s lives. For example, during the process of switching on a feed pump in the heating furnace of a refinery’s coking unit, sulfur corrosion caused cracks in the elbows of the pipelines, leading to the leakage of hot residue oil and resulting in a fire that killed 1 person and injured 1 another. An atmospheric pressure storage tank ignited due to the spontaneous combustion of ferrous sulfide resulting from hydrogen sulfide corrosion, causing the explosive gases inside the tank to explode and leading to a fire that burned for 6 hours. The economic losses caused by metal corrosion to the national economy are enormous. Statistics show that industrial corrosion costs account for approximately 1.5 to 4.2% of the total GDP of a nation’s economy each year.

The corrosion of materials poses significant harm to daily life and the national economy. Corrosion can cause leaks in underground water pipes, and the rusting of bicycle chains can undermine the reliability of those bikes’ operation; furthermore, corrosion-related leaks can pollute the environment, bringing many inconveniences to people’s lives. Each year, metal corrosion results in the loss of approximately 10–20% of metals, consuming limited natural resources and simultaneously wasting a great deal of energy. Not only that, but the catastrophic accidents caused by metal corrosion pose a serious threat to people’s lives. For example, during the process of switching on a feed pump in the heating furnace of a refinery’s coking unit, sulfur corrosion caused cracks in the elbows of the pipelines, leading to the leakage of hot residue oil and resulting in a fire that killed 1 person and injured 1 another. An atmospheric pressure storage tank ignited due to the spontaneous combustion of ferrous sulfide resulting from hydrogen sulfide corrosion, causing the explosive gases inside the tank to explode and leading to a fire that burned for 6 hours. The economic losses caused by metal corrosion to the national economy are enormous. Statistics show that industrial corrosion costs account for approximately 1.5 to 4.2% of the total GDP of a nation’s economy each year.

The corrosion of materials poses significant harm to daily life and the national economy. Corrosion can cause leaks in underground water pipes, and the rusting of bicycle chains can undermine the reliability of those bikes’ operation; furthermore, corrosion-related leaks can pollute the environment, bringing many inconveniences to people’s lives. Each year, metal corrosion results in the loss of approximately 10–20% of the metal, consuming limited natural resources and wasting a great deal of energy as well. Not only that, catastrophic accidents caused by metal corrosion pose a serious threat to people’s lives. The economic losses caused by metal corrosion to the national economy are enormous. Statistics show that industrial corrosion costs account for approximately 1.5–4.2% of the total GDP of a nation each year.

The corrosion of materials poses significant harm to daily life and the national economy. Corrosion can cause leaks in underground water pipes, and the rusting of bicycle chains can undermine the reliability of those bikes’ operation; furthermore, corrosion-related leaks can pollute the environment, bringing many inconveniences to people’s lives. Each year, metal corrosion results in the loss of approximately 10–20% of the metal, consuming limited natural resources and wasting a great deal of energy as well. Not only that, catastrophic accidents caused by metal corrosion pose a serious threat to people’s lives. The economic losses caused by metal corrosion to the national economy are enormous. Statistics show that industrial corrosion costs account for approximately 1.5–4.2% of the total GDP of a nation each year.

The corrosion of materials poses significant harm to daily life and the national economy. Corrosion can cause leaks in underground water pipes, and the rusting of bicycle chains can undermine the reliability of those bikes’ operation; furthermore, corrosion-related leaks can pollute the environment, bringing many inconveniences to people’s lives. Each year, metal corrosion results in the loss of approximately 10–20% of the metal, consuming limited natural resources and wasting a great deal of energy as well. Not only that, catastrophic accidents caused by metal corrosion pose a serious threat to people’s lives. For example, in 1998, during the operation of switching on the feed pump for the heater in the coking unit of Maoming Petrochemical Company’s refinery, sulfur corrosion caused cracks in the elbows in the pipelines; hot residue oil leaked out, leading to a fire that resulted in 1 death and 1 serious injury. In 2000, an atmospheric storage tank at the Tianjin Refinery caught fire due to the spontaneous combustion of ferrous sulfide resulting from hydrogen sulfide corrosion, which triggered an explosion of the gases inside the tank and led to a fire that burned for 6 hours. The economic losses caused by metal corrosion to the national economy are enormous. Statistics show that industrial corrosion costs account for approximately 1.5–4.2% of the total GDP of a nation each year.

The corrosion of materials poses significant harm to daily life and the national economy. Corrosion can cause leaks in underground water pipes, and the rusting of bicycle chains can undermine the reliability of those bikes’ operation; furthermore, corrosion-related leaks can pollute the environment, bringing many inconveniences to people’s lives. Each year, metal corrosion results in the loss of approximately 10–20% of the metal, consuming limited natural resources and wasting a great deal of energy as well. Not only that, catastrophic accidents caused by metal corrosion pose a serious threat to people’s lives. For example, in 1998, during the operation of switching on the feed pump for the heater in the coking unit of Maoming Petrochemical Company’s refinery, sulfur corrosion caused cracks in the elbows in the pipelines; hot residue oil leaked out, leading to a fire that resulted in 1 death and 1 serious injury. In 2000, an atmospheric storage tank at the Tianjin Refinery caught fire due to the spontaneous combustion of ferrous sulfide resulting from hydrogen sulfide corrosion, which triggered an explosion of the gases inside the tank and led to a fire that burned for 6 hours. The economic losses caused by metal corrosion to the national economy are enormous. Statistics show that industrial corrosion costs account for approximately 1.5–4.2% of the total GDP of a nation each year.

This question is too broad; the risks are certainly enormous. To summarize: 1. Wastes resources 2. Causes accidents 3. Results in financial losses

The corrosion of materials poses significant harm to daily life and the national economy. For example, corrosion can cause leaks in underground water pipes, and rust on bicycle chains can undermine the reliability of those bicycles’ operation. Corrosion-related leaks also pollute the environment, causing many inconveniences in people’s lives. Each year, metal corrosion results in the loss of approximately 10–20% of the metal. It consumes limited natural resources and also wastes a great deal of energy. Not only that? The catastrophic accidents caused by metal corrosion pose a serious threat to people’s lives. For example, during the process of switching on the feed pump of the heating furnace in a refinery’s coking unit, sulfur corrosion caused cracks in the elbows along the pipeline, leading to the leakage of hot residue oil and resulting in a fire that killed 1 person and injured another. An atmospheric pressure storage tank experienced spontaneous combustion of ferrous sulfide due to hydrogen sulfide corrosion, which triggered an explosion of the gases inside the tank; this led to a fire that burned for 6 hours. The economic losses caused by metal corrosion to the national economy are enormous. Statistics show that the annual cost of corrosion in industry amounts to approximately 1.5–4.2% of the total GDP of the national economy.

Statistics show that around 100 million tons of metal worldwide are wasted due to corrosion each year, accounting for 20% to 40% of the annual production volume. Moreover, as industrialization progressed, the problem of corrosion became increasingly severe. In the United States, the cost associated with corrosion – including both material consumption and corrosion-related losses – was 5 billion dollars in 1949, rose to 70 billion dollars in 1975, and reached 168 billion dollars by 1985, an increase of more than 80 times compared to 1949. It is estimated that steel equipment worldwide that is scrapped due to corrosion each year amounts to 30% of the annual production volume. Obviously, the value of damaged metal components is much higher than that of the metal materials themselves ； In developed countries, the economic losses caused by corrosion each year account for approximately 2-4% of the gross national product ； The United States consumes 3.4% more energy each year due to corrosion ； The economic losses caused by corrosion in our country amount to at least 20 billion per year. The severe hazards of corrosion are not only reflected in economic losses; it also leads to heavy casualties, environmental pollution, waste of resources, hindrance to the development of new technologies, and acceleration of the depletion of natural resources.

Statistics show that around 100 million tons of metal worldwide are wasted due to corrosion each year, accounting for 20% to 40% of the annual production volume. Moreover, as industrialization progressed, the problem of corrosion became increasingly severe. In the United States, the cost associated with corrosion – including both material consumption and corrosion-related losses – was 5 billion dollars in 1949, rose to 70 billion dollars in 1975, and reached 168 billion dollars by 1985, an increase of more than 80 times compared to 1949. It is estimated that steel equipment worldwide that is scrapped due to corrosion each year amounts to 30% of the annual production volume. Obviously, the value of damaged metal components is much higher than that of the metal materials themselves ； In developed countries, the economic losses caused by corrosion each year account for approximately 2-4% of the gross national product ； The United States consumes 3.4% more energy each year due to corrosion ； The economic losses caused by corrosion in our country amount to at least 20 billion per year. The severe hazards of corrosion are not only reflected in economic losses; it also leads to heavy casualties, environmental pollution, waste of resources, hindrance to the development of new technologies, and acceleration of the depletion of natural resources.