SOCORRO – Seeking out corrosion before it is too late
An often underestimated threat to our economy is steel corrosion, in any kind of industry where water meets steel: the maritime sector, ports, water purification plants, energy production, offshore renewable energy production. The costs pertaining to corrosion are immense: a DNV-GL report sets all-round corrosion costs at more than 500 billion Euro for the European region alone, approx. +/- 3.8% of the European GDP. However consultation with industry indicates there is no general approach to determining where and when corrosion is taking place so that preventative and remedial works can be targeted. Solutions are generic, and there is no overall awareness of possible cost reductions: 25-30% of the corrosion-related costs are superfluous – the baseline for the project. The missing step to achieve this is a comprehensive, quick and easy method to measure the local situation in a range of installations and an increased general awareness that costs can be reduced even further.
Project duration: 01-03-2020 to 30-09-2022
Project funding: Total budget: € 5,449,831; ERDF amount: € 3,269,899
Project Objectives
This project aims to provide companies with an independent means to assess the corrosion risks in their installations, to increase their awareness and to have them take appropriate preventive actions. To this end, we created a simple, rapid, in situ sensor system able to monitor a range of environmental markers over time to determine the risk of corrosion of steel submerged in water, as well as a statistical method to mine these data for an overall corrosion risk estimate – in short, the SOCORRO system.
In this project, we will implement and demonstrate this whole set-up in several industrial case studies (wind turbines at sea, water desalination/sanitation, ship’s hulls and ballast tanks, harbour sheet piles, process water) and show the economic opportunities. In addition, we will augment the statistical analysis with an intuitive, practical dashboard tool to present the outflow of information and to convey that risk to the end users.
University of Kent Contribution and Team
The University of Kent will be leading on the communications area for the project, focussing on increasing awareness of corrosion and the risks is poses. Their work will include the provision of a video documentary, a touring exhibition featuring interactive media, and training materials to enable companies and the wider population to understand the environmental factors affecting corrosion and what actions to take to prevent it.
Team members:
Alexandra Covaci, Mike Green, Rocio von Jungenfeld
Partners
Antwerp Maritime Academy (Lead partner), Ghent University, Southend Borough Council, University of Brighton, University of Kent, Université d’Artois, OnderzoeksCentrum voor de Aanwending van Staal, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Sirris, Genicap Beheer BV, Cobalt Water EU BVBA, Université de Lille, Université Polytechnique Hauts-de-France