Corrosion and material aging pose significant challenges across numerous industries, particularly those related to energy, where the durability and reliability of equipment are crucial. Chemistry and corrosion laboratories play a vital role by providing solutions that deepen our understanding of chemically induced aging mechanisms. This understanding is fundamental not only for ensuring the safety of installations but also for minimizing environmental impacts and enhancing radioprotection.
Advanced Equipment for Corrosion Studies
Specialized corrosion laboratories are equipped with sophisticated experimental loops that simulate real-world conditions found in primary and secondary circuits, such as those in nuclear power plants. These laboratories are also equipped with a wide range of chemical analysis tools, including ICP-AES, ICP-MS, and CPL, as well as approximately 60 autoclaves for testing under extreme conditions.
This equipment allows for the testing and analysis of material degradation in harsh environments, where corrosion can be exacerbated by pressure, temperature, and the chemical composition of the surrounding medium. For instance, the corrosion loop available on the Axel’One platform can replicate various industrial conditions, including pressures up to 200 bar and temperatures up to 350°C, while allowing for the continuous flow of corrosive solutions and online analysis.
A Key Tool for the Energy and Industrial Sectors
The corrosion loop is particularly useful for addressing challenges encountered in energy-related sectors, such as the capture, transport, storage, and recovery of CO2, geothermal energy, and oil and gas production. In these environments, the steels used are often subjected to extreme conditions that can lead to environmentally assisted cracking, such as hydrogen embrittlement or stress corrosion.
The increase in acid gas pressures, such as CO2 and H2S, combined with high temperatures, presents a significant challenge to the durability of materials. The ability of laboratories to simulate these extreme conditions is crucial for understanding degradation mechanisms and developing solutions to extend the lifespan of materials used in these critical environments.
From Fundamental Science to Industrial Application
Mechanical laboratories, on the other hand, provide the necessary tools to study the mechanical behavior of materials under stress, including degradation due to fatigue and creep. By establishing specific constitutive laws of materials, these laboratories feed numerical models capable of simulating micro-mechanical behavior at the crystalline scale. These models are essential for predicting the durability of materials under real industrial conditions.
By combining chemical and mechanical studies, these laboratories make it possible to develop effective strategies to prevent corrosion and extend the life of equipment, while ensuring safety and reducing costs related to the maintenance and replacement of infrastructure.