Failure Analysis on Power Plants by Corrosion and Its Prevention

Corrosion is the principal cause of costly and significant downtimes in power plants. Because metal components are continually in touch with water, water-steam circuits in fossil and nuclear power plants are intrinsically prone to corrosion. In this situation, corrosion monitoring and prevention measures are critical.

Failure analysis is a broad topic that encompasses a variety of disciplines, including electronics, mechanics, metallurgy, corrosion, and so on. For a corrosion expert or engineer on the other hand, failure analysis is defined by a corrosion engineer as the investigation of a specific case of component or equipment failure caused by corrosion or the mechanical elements of corrosion in order to establish the root causes of the failure and how it might be avoided in the future. According to experts at Toronto Industrial Painting, there are three reasons why you should consider conducting a corrosion failure analysis, they are:

• To determine the corrosion mechanism in an industrial process. Failure analysis is better known as an initial step in determining the cause of corrosion.
• To propose practical advice and solutions in order to avoid similar corrosion failures in the future.
• Forensic investigation. Failure analysis is sometimes used to examine the damage to metallic components following a chemical accident, fire, leak, or pollution of the environment.

When performing failure analysis , coating inspection companies usually follow three steps:

1. Acquiring and gathering information associated with a component or piece of equipment's history. For failure analysis, detailed information about both the failed component and the environment to which it was exposed is required. In fact, assessing the failure would be impossible without sufficient evidence.
2. Carrying a detailed examination of the failed part. The failed components, as well as nearby components in some situations, are investigated in the second stage to learn more about the problem. Taking notes and images throughout this step is required to capture all observations. The engineers can study and debate the material in this documentation.
3. Addressing reasons for failure. When all of the data has been collected and examined, corrosion engineers should conduct a rational analysis of the data. To minimize misinterpretation, it is critical that all data be evaluated. This stage necessitates appropriate expertise and experience in order to avoid new failures or additional costs as a result of the analyst's incompetence.

Corrosion causes expensive repairs, extended maintenance, material losses, poor performance, and, if left unchecked, failure in power plants. Corrosion prevention, in the form of preventative and control techniques, such as regular inspections and the application of protective coatings, is recommended by industry experts. Toronto Industrial Painting understands the importance of corrosion prevention. Costs might rise even with routine maintenance to remove and repair corrosion. Fortunately, there are a number of things you can do to prevent rust. Some the strategies include barrier coatings, hot -dip galvanization, cathodic protection and alloyed steel.