Welcome to 2019! At the outset, let me take this opportunity to wish you a great new year ahead!!!
C&ACER had an opportunity to participate in two major events in the Middle East: SteelFab, the Middle East’s premier trade show for metal working, metal working, metal manufacturing and steel fabrication industry; and the NACE International Pipeline Coating Technology Conference.
The Middle East is rich in oil and gas production and uses pipeline to transport the products. Protective coatings have been used as a primary corrosion protection along with cathodic protection. The proper selection of the mainline and girth weld coatings with adequate coating application in the coating plant and in the field are constant challenges to the industry. Unfortunately, there are often premature coating failures to result in a huge financial loss in coating rehabilitation. Currently, there is fewer and fewer pipeline coating experts with 20 – 30 years experience due to retirement. The takeaway was: It is time for coating experts all over the world to timely transfer valuable coating technologies to new generation coating professionals.
In this issue, the main feature is on prevention of stress corrosion cracking and fatigue failure by shot peening.
Corrosion and corrosion failure happens due to the following four reasons: dissimilar metals; dissimilar environments; dissimilar stress; and dissimilar oxygen concentration.
Now, within the industry three factors are conditioned, except the third one which is dissimilar stress. Stress induced corrosion often creeps in like a thief in the night; no one knows when it comes. So, managing corrosion due to stress has to be addressed in places like tanks, pipelines and pressure vessels. Shot peening is the method to take care of this.
In the coming year, we hope to add on more and more features and take this journal to match international level and look forward to your support and blessings as has been in the past through the coming year.