Industrial Corrosion and Protection--03 Establishment of a Corrosion Control Engineering System

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The development of a corrosion control engineering system should be strengthened from four aspects: education and training, research and development, economic evaluation, and scientific management, and across six stages: design, manufacturing, installation, operation, maintenance, and monitoring. (1) Study of corrosion mechanisms: As a fundamental task in corrosion control, the study of corrosion mechanisms focuses on investigating the underlying principles of corrosion phenomena. Its purpose is to establish corrosion theories and, guided by these theories, to develop corrosion control techniques. It can be said that only by thoroughly understanding the mechanisms of corrosion is it possible to implement targeted prevention measures; however, corrosion is often accompanied by multiple mechanisms, which makes things quite complex. At present, China is in a period of intensive infrastructure development; therefore, it is necessary to study the corrosion mechanisms of natural environments such as soil and atmosphere on infrastructure, so as to control the rate of its corrosion ； With the economic development of our country, the demand for energy is increasing. The quality of imported crude oil varies greatly. It is therefore necessary to study the corrosion mechanisms caused by high-sulfur and high-acidity crude oils on petrochemical plants, in order to control corrosion in such facilities. Electrochemical microprobe techniques and electron-optical in-situ techniques are used to investigate the corrosion inhibition mechanisms at the molecular level, including the adsorption of corrosion inhibitors and their functional groups on metal surfaces, with the aim of controlling corrosion in industrial production facilities through corrosion inhibition techniques. (2) Corrosion Systems Engineering. As a practical approach to corrosion control, corrosion systems engineering focuses on the engineering-based study of corrosion phenomena. Its goal is to establish a comprehensive corrosion control system that utilizes various means such as materials, technologies, economic factors, instruments, educational approaches, as well as regulations, in order to prevent or control corrosion in a safe and reliable manner. This represents the key direction for the development of corrosion control engineering in China in the future. It covers a wide range of knowledge areas, requiring corrosion engineers to be familiar with the theory and practice of corrosion; understand the production processes and operating conditions; grasp the environmental factors related to corrosion and their interactions; know the physical and chemical properties of materials as well as their methods of use; develop designs and treatment strategies for corrosion control, explain corrosion phenomena, and identify measures to address them. Corrosion prevention is a systematic approach; one single method cannot be considered sufficient. (3) Development and application of new corrosion-resistant materials and technologies. Practice has shown that developing new corrosion-resistant materials and protective technologies are important measures for controlling corrosion and improving the efficiency of Earth’s resource utilization. To meet the new demands posed by the modernization of China’s industry and the development of high-tech industries on corrosion science, it is essential to focus on the research, development, and application of new corrosion-resistant materials and protective technologies. From the perspective of the social science known as corrosion economics, the future development of corrosion-resistant materials and technologies should focus not only on the advancement of metallic materials but also on other natural resources such as non-metallic materials. It should pay attention not only to progress in materials science but also to advancements in more cost-effective surface corrosion resistance techniques. Efforts are focused on researching and developing resource-saving corrosion control methods based on corrosion economics, such as passivation techniques for high-strength stainless steels and corrosion-resistant alloys, low-cost chromium plating and conversion coating technologies, as well as corrosion-resistant alloy lining technologies. Research is also directed toward developing high-performance composite coating materials capable of withstanding harsh conditions such as high temperatures and pressures, strong corrosive media, and erosion caused by multiphase flows. These include anti-corrosion composite linings made from interpenetrating network polymers, wear-resistant materials containing carbides and ultra-fine ceramic powders, as well as non-metallic corrosion-resistant materials that incorporate nanoscale functional additives. There is also emphasis on developing eco-friendly coatings that prevent fouling and biological attachment, as well as water-based and solvent-free coatings. Research is carried out on chemical corrosion control agents such as surface self-assembled film and electropolymerized film-type corrosion inhibitors, multi-functional inhibitors that provide corrosion prevention, sterilization, and scale inhibition simultaneously and are environmentally friendly, as well as vapor-phase corrosion inhibitors for electronic equipment. Additionally, efforts are made to develop electrochemical corrosion control techniques for large-scale underground structures and marine structures. The challenge in applying new technologies and materials lies in practice; high economic costs and slow results are the biggest obstacles, which often prevent owners from making the necessary investments. (4) Design of corrosion protection engineering for industrial production facilities. As is well known, the design of corrosion protection engineering is the starting point for controlling corrosion in all industrial production facilities. Although most corrosion damage occurs during the operational phase of the device, its causes lie in various stages ranging from design to manufacturing, installation, commissioning, operation, and maintenance. Corrosion prevention engineering design forms the basis for corrosion control in the aforementioned stages; it not only determines the key elements for corrosion control at each stage of the industrial production facility but also integrates the corrosion control measures from these various stages into a cohesive whole, thereby constituting the technical framework for corrosion control in such facilities. Therefore, the corrosion prevention engineering design for industrial production facilities should be carried out simultaneously with the facility’s engineering design and incorporated into the mandatory design documents. Excellent corrosion prevention engineering designs in the future will achieve a scientific balance among production facilities, corrosive environments, corrosion control measures, and the economic aspects related to corrosion, thereby enabling sustainable development that yields the highest industrial returns using limited resources and funds. In the corrosion protection engineering design of future facilities, corrosion engineers will pay special attention to the composition of the corrosion environment surrounding the entire facility, especially those new corrosion environments arising from new manufacturing processes. They will also focus on the past experience in corrosion control for similar facilities, including both successful and unsuccessful approaches. Attention will be given to the relationship between the structure and strength of equipment and corrosion formation, as well as to methods for controlling corrosion. Selecting corrosion-resistant materials and anti-corrosion techniques that meet the requirements of the corrosion environment, as well as making effective use of new corrosion-resistant materials and technologies in corrosion control design, are also important considerations. Efforts will be made to improve or suppress the conditions of the corrosion environment through proper structural and strength design as well as the selection of appropriate process parameters. Additionally, the scientific aspects related to corrosion economics will be taken into account. (5) Manufacturing, installation, and corrosion protection measures for corrosion-resistant equipment: Undoubtedly, the manufacturing, installation, and implementation of corrosion protection measures for corrosion-resistant equipment are crucial elements in realizing the goals of corrosion protection engineering design and ensuring the safe and reliable operation of industrial facilities. In future corrosion control projects, it is essential to establish high-quality teams of professionals in manufacturing, installation, and corrosion prevention work across various industries. Engineers involved in manufacturing, installation, and corrosion prevention must possess extensive practical experience in corrosion control, be able to identify errors in design and implementation during these processes, and have the capability to discuss such issues with design engineers in order to make necessary improvements. It is also necessary to establish comprehensive technical standards for the manufacturing, installation, and corrosion prevention of corrosion-resistant equipment. (6) Operation management of in-service equipment, online corrosion monitoring, and life assessment techniques. Future corrosion control projects should, based on the aforementioned research efforts, focus on further developing assessment techniques for the reliability and service suitability of large-scale installations and facilities; advance research into online corrosion monitoring and detection technologies; and develop techniques for assessing maintenance intervals and the remaining corrosion life. This will enable China’s corrosion control efforts to shift from unpredictable passive control to predictable active control, thereby preventing or mitigating sudden corrosion incidents that could cause significant damage to humans and their living environment, as well as economic losses. (7) Economics of corrosion: Economics is a sociological issue, while the economics of corrosion is a combined issue of natural and social sciences; it focuses on the economic benefits and social effects of corrosion and its control. The corrosion economy focuses on a comparative study of corrosion, corrosion control, and economics, with the aim of establishing a scientific accounting system for the economic benefits of corrosion and its control. Future corrosion control engineering should study corrosion economics as one of the core issues for development. Such as studies on the technical/economic comprehensive analysis (LCC) method for the total costs of corrosion and its control over the service life of industrial production facilities; studies on the technical/economic comparative analysis methods for the maintenance cycles of industrial production facilities and corrosion control; studies on the technical/economic comparative analysis methods for the service life of major infrastructure projects and environmental corrosion control; studies on the comparative analysis methods for the preliminary technical/economic aspects and the process-related technical/economic aspects of corrosion control in engineering projects; and studies on predictive analysis methods for the technical/economic aspects of corrosion control in current engineering projects and those in future projects.