The detectives of corrosion

Corrosion costs the oil and gas industry billions of dollars every year, it can also have far reaching environmental consequences. But so far no one has managed to stop corrosion happening. A detective style research team based at The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus are working closely with industry to investigate real world problems and are taking a forensic look at the nature of corrosion — particularly in the oil and gas sector. Andrew Spowage, Director of Studies in the Department of Mechanical, Materials and Manufacturing , is an expert in characterisation and testing of materials. He said: "It is a little bit like CSI if you like but it isn't quite as glamorous. We collect samples, put things in bags and bring them back to our labs for analysis." Corrosive fluids eat away iron. On pipelines across the world this constant assault can erode the surface of the pipe and the protective layers.