Corrosion is a tremendous and ongoing challenge, with a 2016 study released by the National Association of Corrosion Engineers known as NACE International estimating the global cost of corrosion at $2.5 trillion. NACE is the global leader in developing corrosion prevention and control standards, certification and educational resources.
Lubrizol has been aligned with NACE International for many years in its mission to provide solutions and sound engineering practices that address the corrosion issue. NACE provides the framework for collaboration and innovation that will help improve safety and decrease the costs associated with corrosion. While many owners turn to coatings, liners, and cathodic protection as a solution to thermoplastics, Lubrizol has been working to educate on the reality of using materials for construction that will not corrode.
Why NACE International was Formed
Little knowledge existed about the science of corrosion control at the beginning of the 20th century. By the 1930s, however, the industrial sector was beginning to make significant strides in corrosion mitigation, and cathodic protection (CP) was becoming widely used to control corrosion on underground pipelines. This technique, however, raised concerns about stray current possibly damaging adjacent structures.
It soon became apparent that a dedicated organization was needed to serve as a clearinghouse for information relative to underground operations and establish procedures for installing and maintaining CP systems. The Houston-based Mid-Continent Cathodic Protection Association was formed in 1938 to respond to this need.
The Petroleum Industry Electrical Association (PIEA) offered to sponsor the group’s work, and the PIEA Cathodic Section was established in 1940. Section members realized the value of forming a separate association specifically dedicated to corrosion and its control, which led 11 corrosion engineers from the pipeline industry to form NACE in 1943.
NACE quickly broadened its scope beyond CP and the pipeline sector to include oil and gas production, chemical processing and the refining industries. The organization also expanded its methods of corrosion control to include materials selection and design, protective coatings and linings, and chemical treatment. This added focus combined with growing public knowledge about the costly and damaging effects of corrosion spurred impressive NACE membership growth in subsequent years.
Lubrizol SMEs Participate in NACE Key Strategic Groups
Today, NACE International serves over 36,000 members representing more than 130 countries and has gained recognition as the premier authority for corrosion control solutions. With the organization headquartered in Houston, NACE International serves as a third-party entity for technical training, certification programs and industry standards. The organization also provides education and support via reports, publications, technical journals, conferences, government relations and more. NACE operates offices in San Diego, Malaysia, China, Brazil and Saudi Arabia.
Lubrizol’s Corzan® Industrial Systems team members are actively involved in several NACE groups that are working to achieve better engineered design, safer and more reliable systems with reduced corrosion costs for industrial facilities around the world. Personnel serve as subject matter experts (SMEs) for Specific Technology Groups (STGs), including STG 10 -- Nonmetallic Materials for Construction, and STG 33 – Oil and Gas Production: Nonmetallics and Wear Coatings.
Lubrizol SMEs were also instrumental in developing the NACE Technology Exchange Group, TEG 500X, which is part of STG 33 and concentrates on the oil and gas industry. TEG 500X focuses on Nonmetallic Materials for Onshore and Offshore Facilities and conducted a Technical Information Exchange in Nashville in March. NACE Technical Information Exchanges help committees remain on the cutting edge of innovation and technology in the corrosion industry.
The Technology Exchange Group session was part of NACE Corrosion 2019, the largest show of its kind in the U.S., with typically 6,000+ corrosion professionals from around the globe attending. The comprehensive technical conference offered opportunities to exchange knowledge and connect with corrosion scientists and researchers, engineers, coatings inspectors and contractors, educators, business owners and executives who are involved in the study, prevention, and control of corrosion.
Industry leaders attending the show included Anadarko Petroleum, BP, ExxonMobil, General Electric, Koch Industries, Marathon, Saudi Aramco, Shell, Valero and many others. Corzan partner manufacturers GF and IPEX also participated in the show, with GF making a presentation on stress analysis.
Bryan Hutton, Market Development Manager and CPI lead for Lubrizol, spoke on “Lessons Learned with Thermoplastics in Oil and Gas Production,” addressing how thermoplastics provide a critical service to the production industry by providing a lightweight solution that solves many corrosion issues.
Corzan industrial Systems SMEs have participated in several additional NACE key strategic groups, including TEG 509X – Materials Selection and Corrosion Control in the Mineral Processing Industries, and TG 574 – Reinforced Thermoset and Thermoplastic Piping for Oil/Gas Service.
NACE will host Corrosion Technology Week September 15-19 in St. Louis.
Proposed Standard Will Provide Installation and Inspection Criteria for GRP and FRP
As part of STG 33, technology group members have proposed developing a standard practice on installation and inspection criteria for glass fiber reinforced plastics (GRP) and fiberglass reinforced plastics (FRP) piping systems in regard to thermoset and thermoplastic piping systems in the field. The standard is necessary as no such standard presently exists and the industry is requesting it.
The standard, TG 574, will target end users in oil and gas production – especially in the Middle East. The standard practice will be particularly useful during training.
Michael Yee, principal of RT Consults, serves as chair for STG 33 and Bryan Hutton serves as vice chair.
Innovation and Education Help Reduce Costs, Create Safer Environments
NACE International is the worldwide corrosion authority and a third-party entity for technical training, certification programs, industry standards and education. Innovative products and techniques result from collaboration with SMEs and the exchange of ideas among NACE International members.
SMEs from companies such as Lubrizol will continue to infuse expertise into technical groups to educate the industrial sector and create highly engineered systems that contribute to reliability and help reduce the cost of corrosion. Nonmetallic materials such as Corzan CPVC eliminate corrosion within industrial facilities only when engineering firms, end users and the next generation of specifiers understand the product and its capabilities and select it for installation.
Lubrizol technical experts are always on call to provide materials selection and engineering assistance, and Lubrizol offers educational materials on its Corzan CPVC website such as spec sheets, technical white papers, case studies and the Corzan CPVC Chemical Resistance Chart comparing the compatibility of Corzan CPVC against over 400 chemicals.
Corzan CPVC is backed by a 60-year performance track record in some of the most corrosive environments. To learn how Corzan CPVC prevents corrosion, contact a Lubrizol partner manufacturer or a Corzan CPVC System Consultant for a free technical assessment.
