MATCOR, Inc.

Protecting land and water near Casper, Wyoming

2009-01-05T15:08:00.002-05:00

Beneath the rolling prairies of East Central Wyoming are rich oil and natural gas deposits, making the land valuable despite the lonely, sweeping landscape. More than one refinery exists in Wyoming to process the black gold that lies beneath the land. Wyoming is also a state that enjoys tremendous natural treasures and is a destination spot for outdoors adventurists and sportsman alike. Maintaining the environment, while developing our energy resources do not have to be mutually exclusive endeavors – and MATCOR is proud of our small role in accomplishing these two goals.

In 2008, MATCOR was asked to evaluate a sheet pile barrier wall separating a former refinery from the North Platte River, near Casper, which was designed to protect the river from spoils of the refining process. The North Platte River is one of the Western United States’ great rivers and offers some of the finest fly fishing on the planet. Since 1996, Trihydro Corporation has handled engineering and environmental consulting for the refinery, focusing on recovery of free phase hydrocarbons, removal of source materials and protection of the river. Protecting the sheet pile barrier wall from corrosion was a mission-critical task. Both the water side and the earth side of the wall offered different challenges, so unique cathodic protection systems were designed for each side of the 3400 foot long wall.

On the water side, MATCOR’s SPL ™- HDP Anode was utilized; on the earth side, SPL™-FBR was the best option. Like every project, customized engineering plans were drafted, and carefully selected anodes manufactured specifically for the job at MATCOR’s Pennsylvania headquarters. The presence of bedrock from 10 to 40 feet below the surface, the amount of current required for CP, and the physical properties and limitations of the site were influencing factors in the choice of cathodic protection materials.
Installation and commissioning had to take place in September and October 2008, when the North Platte was at its lowest.

Engineers thrive on new challenges, and MATCOR’s engineers are no different.

The vastly different electrolytes on each side of the sheet pile wall only made the project more interesting. MATCOR SPL™-HDP anodes were lowered into the river, and secured with concrete weights. SPL™-FBR anodes were laid parallel to the sheet pile wall in the earth 10 feet from the wall, protecting 87,000 square feet of metal from corrosion. The system was designed for a 30-year life, with regular testing and inspection.

When planning schedules for CP installation, MATCOR has worked around snow and frozen tundra, rainy seasons, tidal changes, and space flight launch schedules, but this is the first time we’ve designed our system and timeline around the rise and fall of a river. Right now Casper, Wyoming is cold and snowy, but the CP system is at work, protecting the sheet pile wall, and in turn, the environment of one of America’s beautiful places.

MATCOR teams placed the SPL ™- HDP Anodes in the North Platte River by boat. The anodes were weighted down with concrete blocks, and placed in the deepest part of the river to assure constant moisture surrounded the anodes, even in the rivers dry season.

Invest in Prevention

2008-10-20T12:30:00.004-05:00

With the economy in an uproar, it can be difficult to focus on investing in long term maintenance and prevention of infrastructure failure. And yet, those investments are crucial to America’s infrastructure and our ability to recover from recession. Prevention and mitigation of corrosion in bridges, pipelines, power plants, liquid natural gas storage facilities and ports saves millions of dollars in future repairs, but even more importantly, prevents major disasters that disrupt commerce—something America cannot afford.

We only have to look back at the tragic loss of the I-35W Bridge in Minnesota last year to see the disruption caused by the collapse and 12 month repair. (Corroded gusset plates were part of the reason for the failure.) The Minnesota Commercial Railway was blocked, along with numerous auto and truck routes. The Federal Aviation Administration restricted pilots in the vicinity for a period. Thirty five people lost their jobs when Aggregate Industries, a company that delivered construction materials by barge, cut production in the area. Many businesses, large and small, near the collapse site reported losses of 25% to 50% of their income. Ultimately, the state increased the fuel tax by $0.055 per gallon to fund Mn/DOT maintenance. The new bridge cost $234 million. The cost in loss of life was immeasurable.

And, we can learn from an incident across the ocean: on June 3, 2008, a natural gas pipeline exploded in Western Australia. Reports say the explosion cut that nation’s fuel supply by a third and drained between $2.4 billion and $4.5 billion from Australia’s economy. The investigating body, Australia’s National Offshore Petroleum Safety Authority, reported that the rupture occurred because of thinning of the pipe wall and corrosion of the external surface.

Proven technology exists to prevent these disasters. In the United States, cathodic protection is required on energy-carrying pipelines. Other structures, such as bridges, tunnels, power plants, piers and ports can also be protected from corrosion by involving certified corrosion engineers in planning new structures and maintaining existing structures. The cost of including the right people and the right technology in America’s infrastructure is minimal in comparison to the cost of corrosion, which is $276 billion or 3.1% of the GDP.

We’ve learned that we can’t put blinders on and hope the worst won’t happen. It’s time to be realistic and invest in our future.

William R. Schutt
President and CEO
MATCOR, Inc.
Doylestown PA
www.matcor.com

Installing Cathodic Protections Anodes to Protect Historic Marina

2008-09-02T11:14:00.001-05:00

Studies have shown that for every dollar invested in cathodic protection (CP), ten dollars of future spending is averted. So, instead of spending a fortune on cyclical repairs, it seems that a smarter investment would be to protect infrastructure using cathodic protection. For instance, why would a small to mid-sized marina drive up operating expenses by repairing corrosion-related damage every few years when they can invest in long term corrosion prevention?

Many of the tug boat companies and marinas that operate on the East Coast are smaller, private organizations that don’t have huge budgets. Take, for example, Dann Marine Towing, a family-owned commercial tug boat and marina services operation located on the Delaware and Chesapeake Canal. Instead of spending a fortune on repetitive repairs over the next few decades, they invested in cathodic protection systems from MATCOR to protect their marina.

Dann Marine asked us to design and install a system for their 100-acre Canal Palace location, a historic landmark that has served the marine industry for more than a century. As the marina’s infrastructure aged and continued to be exposed to chlorides, it became apparent that Dann Marine had to stop the escalation of corrosion and prevent damage to its sea wall and boat ramp.

Specifically, MATCOR is installing three cathodic protection anode systems: MATCOR’s SPL™-HDP Anodes, MMP™ Anodes and PW™-Anodes to protect the marina.
Despite the use of CP for marinas and boats over the last couple hundred years, I have seen several news stories regarding marine infrastructure and marine vessels corroding and in need of repair over the last year. I’m left to ask myself why more private and public organizations don’t adopt CP or aren’t more aware of how cathodic protection can protect their assets. With a 20+ year operating life, Dann Marine believes MATCOR CP systems can really “save our ship.”

Edouard welcomes MATCOR to its new Houston Office

2008-08-06T13:51:00.002-05:00

Tropical Storm Edouard was threatening Gulf Coast energy infrastructure as it approached land this past week, and it finally touched ground yesterday morning just after our Houston office spent the weekend moving into a new office space in Katy, TX. I’m glad we were able to relocate and beat the storm, and that our staff are all safe.

We opened our Houston office in 2002 with just one person working from home. Since then, MATCOR’s Houston office has been our staging ground for global energy projects, and we grew to serve some of the largest energy interests in the world. Over the last few years, we moved to an office space outside of Houston, expanded our project portfolio and added over a dozen engineers, technicians, project administrators and technical sales professionals. Our pipeline and energy infrastructure business grew more than 500%, and we now have thousands of pipeline miles to walk every year and hundreds of storage tanks to protect.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that we’ve seen this kind of growth. Oil and gas are the most treasured commodities in the world right now, and energy companies like Exxon Mobil are realizing record profits. So, with energy companies looking to drive further growth and command the global economy by protecting every line mile, every drop of oil, every cubic meter of gas and every inch of a storage facility, MATCOR has forged a strong position in the corrosion protection market.

Our new facility, which is 8,100 sq. ft., gives us a lot more space for welcoming our customers, accommodating a larger staff, conducting product demonstrations, and adding warehousing for the systems we manufacture at our headquarters. The Houston team will be more agile and responsive, and we’re excited about bringing clients to the new, state-of-the-art facility.

Not sure if we’re going to decorate with gigantic palm trees like we did in the Doylestown, PA headquarters, but this new office has all the space we’ll need for a Texas sized hoe-down. You can contact MATCOR's Gulf Coast office at the same phone number, but our new address is as follows:

MATCOR, Inc.
20302 Park Row Drive
Suite 100
Katy, TX 77449
(281) 558-2600

Why would you install, but never test

2008-05-23T14:28:00.001-05:00

Recently, I visited a power plant built around 1970. I was pleased to find out that there was a coating and cathodic protection (CP) system protecting the plant’s gas pipeline. But, I was dismayed to find out that no commissioning report was available, and the plant’s maintenance files lacked any test data to confirm that the system had ever worked properly. That didn’t surprise me as much as it probably does you. At too many power plants built with a pipeline CP system, the system is installed and turned on, but never inspected or tested later.

Tests determined that the system no longer worked- some rectifiers proved inoperable and anodes were depleted. The scary part is we couldn’t tell when it stopped working, or if it ever worked in the first place.

This case is all too common with competitive power plants because CP is not their primary concern. Sadly, I fear that one day, maybe not too far into the future, inadequate safety measures on a power plant gas line will lead to an explosion. Though it’s not part of a plant’s day-to-day operations on the surface, a failure on the gas line could lead to a major disaster resulting in injury, further equipment failures, widespread power outages, and even death.

It is in the public and private sectors’ interest to maintain power plants, so it’s critical to maintain the integrity of a plant’s systems. I would recommend that power plants across the country consult with an established and experienced cathodic protection systems firm.

CP- A balcony's best friend

2008-05-13T15:26:00.004-05:00

The Florida coast is a particularly harsh environment for concrete structures, combining heat, humidity and high concentrations of chloride. Concrete balconies in the region are especially susceptible to corrosion of reinforcing steel, requiring major repair and maintenance.

Condo owners recognize that repeating patch maintenance cycles are disruptive and increasingly expensive. However, property managers don't always implement methods for corrosion prevention out of ignorance or because of the cost.

But, applying cathodic protection (CP) can lengthen the lifecycle of the reinforcing steel and concrete, delaying the need for maintenance. CP is a viable long term solution to protect these vulnerable concrete structures, but applying CP to condominium balconies is not easy. The evolution of cathodic protection, as applied to concrete balconies in Florida, has been an evolutionary process. Many systems have been tried with varying degrees of technical and commercial success. In ture Darwinian fashion, some of the solutions took the path to extinction, others evolved and have flourished, and some technologies moved to other, more favorable applications.

Many structural engineers now recognize the benefits of cathodic protection (CP) to stop the corrosion process and how to apply the right system in a given environment. This long-term solution extends the life of these important concrete structures and protects residents who own condos with balconies.

I just hope condo owners and property managers do their due diligence to find out what available technologies will keep residents safe.

Bill

Spotlight on I-95 signals corrosion problem

2008-04-16T14:30:00.006-05:00

It’s been a busy few weeks for us at MATCOR, and I’m just getting the chance to breathe and share a few things with all of you.

The biggest event lately was the NACE 2008 show in New Orleans. As you all know, NACE is the international organization for corrosion engineers, and our annual trade show and conference was a lot of fun.

Being in New Orleans, I got the chance to share two of my biggest passions with the crowd. Not only did we talk about my favorite topic, corrosion, but I had the chance to play sax with a couple of friends at our booth. We even had a mime walking the show floor.

More so than in past years, I saw that our industry has grown, and methods for treating or preventing corrosion have advanced significantly over the past several years. However, events outside of the show point to the overwhelming challenge of overcoming our crumbling infrastructure.

While I was at the NACE show, a portion of I-95 was shut down here in Philadelphia. It turned out that a pillar supporting a raised section of the highway showed significant spalling, referred to by the media as a crack two to three inches wide and six feet long, threatening the integrity of the structure and the safety of commuters.

Spalling in concrete is almost always caused by corrosion of the reinforcing steel in the concrete. Regardless of the nomenclature, the result is an unsafe condition. Not only is this another example of our nation’s crumbling infrastructure, but these pictures show that this wasn’t an isolated incident.

PennDoT reacted quickly to ensure public safety, but other supporting structures in the area make it obvious that corrosion is a serious problem along I-95. Surprisingly, PennDoT doesn’t really think corrosion is an issue. I even visited a nearby support structure to check it out first hand.

This week marks the 20th anniversary that the Williamsburg Bridge in New York City was closed after the discovery of a 6-foot crack caused by severe corrosion. Eerily similar, I’d say. The connection between these two events makes it obvious to me that we are in trouble.

Lights! Cameras! Corrosion!

2007-08-08T08:19:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday was a long day for me. After Wednesday’s collapse of the I-35 bridge in Minneapolis, I shuttled from one TV newsroom to the next. Reporters peppered me with questions about why the collapse happened, what can be done to prevent further infrastructure failures, and so on.

My PR firm has compiled clips of my appearances for me to share with you. I consider raising awareness about the risks of corrosion to our aging infrastructure as a public service that people in our industry are obligated to provide.

That said, I hope I don't make these appearances a habit -- because that would mean more disasters, and more lives lost to a problem that is preventable, given the right engineering.

Let's mandate speed limits for highway corrosion

2007-08-07T11:50:00.000-05:00

Since the collapse of Minnesota’s I-35W bridge, I’ve read and heard a lot about privatizing our roads and highways. This should NOT be the issue. Privatization might solve a short-term budget crunch for some states, but there are no guarantees a private company will properly maintain or repair troubled structures.

What’s really needed to keep our roads safe is the same type of congressional legislation that privately-owned pipeline companies must adhere to. The Pipeline Safety Act requires pipeline owners to use cathodic protection as a corrosion control method.

The government requires the same technology for military steam lines and NASA structures. Why wouldn’t the government require a similar safeguard for our roads and bridges -- structures used by tens of millions of commuters every day?

It’s well known that our aging infrastructure is deteriorating at an ever-increasing pace. But instead of investing the estimated $30 billion annually it would take to replace infrastructure, let's be proactive.

We have the technology -- cathodic protection -- to stop corrosion before it starts. This can be used not only for all new structures, but to mitigate existing corrosion today. Better still, cathodic protection would cost the country far less than $30 billion a year, yet would deliver the same or better levels of protection as replacement.

Again, let's be proactive! If you have questions about cathodic protection and how it can mitigate corrosion and keep our families safe on the nation’s roads and highways, feel free to drop me a line. I’ll personally answer any and all questions.

Minneapolis bridge collapse raises questions

2007-08-06T12:50:00.000-05:00

The collapse of the I-35W bridge over the Mississippi River opened the nation’s eyes to the subject of our corroding infrastructure. While it started a knee-jerk reaction in states’ legislatures to immediately inspect America’s bridges, we who work in this industry know there is a better way.

We know the causes, and age is not an excuse. Climate is. As with many cities that endure harsh winters, the tons of deicing salt Minneapolis pours onto its roads every year could have been a factor in accelerating the bridge's corrosion.

I spent the better part of Friday shuffling from one media point to the next giving this explanation. Newsweek was one of those. Eve Conant interviewed me for the print edition. You can also listen to the audio version with Newsweek On Air host David Alpern.

While a definitive cause for the collapse has yet to be determined, my best guess is road salt. It’s the same environment that led to the corrosion of NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building, on which we used cathodic protection to mitigate and repair the building.

Whether it’s in the air or used to keep roadways safe (oh, the irony), salt is corrosive. And if the proper steps aren’t taken to prevent decay on the front end, I’m afraid this won’t be the last bridge collapse to take our breath away, and dominate the news.

Corrosion is like a cancer in a seemingly healthy person’s body. It grows undetected until it's too late. Then you have a New York City steam pipe explosion, or a major artery collapsing into a river.

Precautionary steps can and must be taken NOW to ensure our roads, buildings, and underground infrastructures are safe. Moreover, these measures should be part of ONGOING, PROACTIVE steps that are aimed at preventing such disasters from ever happening again.

Looking for causes and scurrying around inspecting our infrastructure AFTER there's a disaster is simply the wrong way to go about this.

Al Tompkins livens up a dry topic

2007-07-24T10:20:00.000-05:00

Something wonderful happened yesterday morning. MATCOR was mentioned in Al's Morning Meeting, a compendium of ideas and story excerpts from a variety of Web sites. Al pointed out the seriousness of our nation's corroding infrastructure, and encouraged journalists to take a harder look.

Who is Al? Why does his opinion matter? And why should we in the corrosion business care? That's what I wanted to know.

My PR team clued me in. Apparently, Al's column is required reading for them, and legions of journalists around the globe.

We who work in this business -- from our partners to our competitors and our customers -- know that corrosion isn't a sexy topic. It's rarely top of mind, especially in the mainstream media.

For a guy like Al to take the time to thoughtfully consider this topic, and its implications, is a rare event that should be savored. Hopefully his bringing corrosion to the forefront will spark some old fashioned investigative journalism -- reporting that could expose what we industry insiders know is a ticking time bomb across this great nation, and around the world.

Our infrastructure is aging. With age comes corrosion. And with corrosion comes failure. The jury is still out on the cause of the New York pipeline explosion. But what happened could have been caused by corrosion, and should be used to illustrate the risk to people and economies.

Since mentioning MATCOR in his column, we’ve received a number of calls from journalists looking into corrosion stories. THANK YOU, AL TOMPKINS, for making that happen, and for devoting some precious time and space to call attention to this serious (and in our opinion, overlooked) issue.

I also want to invite anyone who wants more information on this topic to contact me, either by commenting here, or writing to me.

New York City’s steps to better infrastructure

2007-07-23T09:40:00.000-05:00

In my last post, I said I would provide some tips to improve New York’s aging infrastructure. These lessons not only apply to the Big Apple, but to every city large and small.

The dust has barely settled from the New York City steam piping failure. But federal, state, and local officials -- and most likely a phalanx of plaintiff’s lawyers -- will begin asking tough questions and assessing blame.

Though it could be months before forensic analysis determines the factors that led to the failure, we can look to the future and ask, What’s next? Simply put, utility companies operating steam distribution networks must adopt the same standards and procedures used in the oil and gas pipeline industry.

These heavily regulated industries follow rigid programs that utility companies should adopt. These features include:

* Risk-based evaluation of system threats. This identifies segments of the pipeline that are either at risk of failure, or take into account the damage to life and property that a failure would cause.

* Ranking segments at high. This is more art than science. But it does systematically identify critical factors, and lets the operator focus on those high-risk areas.

* Direct assessment of high risk-segments. This methodology assesses the condition of pipeline segments in areas of high consequence. The four-step process includes:

1. Pre-assessment: Engineers collect the historical data on the segment, including its leak and repair history, original construction data, prior testing/inspection reports, and pre-inspection site visits to determine what assessment tools to use.

2. Indirect assessment: We use various testing technologies to test the piping without actually physically examining the pipeline. These tools use voltage gradients, ultrasonic waves, and other technologies to locate coating defects, cracks, and metal loss without having to excavate the entire pipeline.

3. Direct examination: In this phase, the results of the indirect examinations pinpoint the worse areas. These sections are uncovered and examined with sophisticated technologies that require contact with the pipe. The results will determine whether further sites should be excavated.

4. Post assessment: This stage collects and evaluates the results of the indirect and direct assessments. The thickness measurements collected at the excavation sites will calculate a historical corrosion rate, and establish intervals for repeat testing.

These tasks aren’t simple or free. But ignoring them is like ignoring a cancerous tumor that’s inside your body -- buried underground out of sight and out of mind until it is too late. Then it’s front and center.

Every city and municipality should be doing what it can now to assess its level of risk, and put plans in place to minimize that risk using the techniques that I documented above.

If you are a city father, and directly or indirectly responsible for your city’s infrastructure, please feel free to write to me directly. I’ll answer any questions either privately or, if you don’t mind, I could share it here for everyone to learn. Write to me at Schutt_Bill@Yahoo.com.

New York’s steam pipe explosion: A glimpse of the future

2007-07-19T16:29:00.000-05:00

Yesterday’s steam pipe explosion in New York City is not surprising.

Yes. Vivid images of explosion and steam emerging from a gaping hole strike me as out of place in the bustling, midtown neighborhood.

But, a greater fact strikes me more. Thousands of miles of high pressure steam piping run under major U.S. cities and small towns that are off our radar. Laws and company practice guidelines that govern corrosion monitoring and control include cathodic protection for oil and gas pipelines. But nothing is mandated for steam and other high pressure piping systems.

The federal government and military have high pressure steam systems on many of our military bases, including the one where Air Force One is stationed. In fact, many of our universities have steam heating and cooling systems. As we have seen, a leak in one of those pipes can prove disastrous or fatal.

News reports yesterday quoted NYC officials saying the pipes were 'old.' That seemed to be the answer to the leak. While we do not know yet what exactly caused the leak, saying the pipes are old shouldn't be acceptable.

Another expert called the existence of the old pipes under NYC a disaster waiting to happen. Well, it happened and it will happen again.

As a corrosion engineer who has worked on oil and gas pipelines, I know detecting and preventing steam piping from rotting is possible. In fact, cathodic protection is preventing corrosion in many piping systems. This includes a system near the University of Pennsylvania that is 50 to 100 years old, and is still working fine and protecting the public.

In my next post, I'm going to explain what New York City can do to mitigate these problems.

Making sense of concrete corrosion

2007-07-16T16:15:00.000-05:00

Why do things break? It's a question my grandchildren ask when their favorite toys fall to pieces.

The engineer in me gives an answer young minds might understand. Weak materials. Wear and time. Excessive force or mass. (Well, maybe not excessive force or mass.)

But when I have to explain a break or crack in a major building's balcony or facade to condo owners, they don't face the facts as easily. I encounter this often as a concrete-in-steel expert -- and I wish I didn't, because that means building owners and contractors aren't doing things the right way. Reinforcing steel corrosion should be suspected with Cathodic Protection cure methods used for over 30 years.

This is especially true in coastal areas. I just appeared on Local 6 in Orlando, where buildings suffer constant hurricane damage, and are impacted daily by salt-infused air. You can view the segment here.

This combination creates the 'perfect storm' for corrosion risk. My recommendation: Buildings 10 years old or more should be examined by engineers.

It happens closer to home, too. The Crab House Eatery in Cape May County, N.J., collapsed this week, injuring nine people. Fortunately, nobody died, but does it have to come to that before action is taken?

We haven't heard yet what weakened the bulkhead supporting the pier. Still, cracking, degradation, and wearing in concrete doesn’t happen overnight, so the structure was likely corroding for many years.

That's why we're in constant conversation with customers who own marine properties, and are committed to keeping concrete structures sound. We who understand the science greatly prefer planning and preventing tragedy to making sense of a collapse.

The good news: The right technology and expertise can achieve safety. And that's a concept even a child understands.

Grooming the next generation of corrosion engineers

2007-06-22T17:35:00.000-05:00

It's not easy explaining corrosion engineering to my friends and family. So imagine my dilemma when we were invited to speak at Abington School District's Career Day in Montgomery County.

I thought, "How am I going to explain the intricacies of our business to fifth graders with short attention spans?" Since kids love tall stories and outer space, I started with our work on NASA's VAB roof, one of the largest buildings in the world.

We made the grade and won them over using pictures instead of engineering jargon. In fact, we reached these kids more easily than some adults!

And while they probably won't be thinking about anodes during their next science class, the opportunity to impress young minds was certainly rewarding. Someone has to carry on the CP tradition, and it might very well be one of these grade-schoolers.

Here I am with marketing director Jennifer Cantono, fielding questions from fifth graders.

Blanketing Asia with CP technologies

2007-06-14T12:10:00.000-05:00

I just completed my third trip to Asia in the past three years, and I am slowly gaining some appreciation for its CP market -- at least the markets in which we do business.

What I found is a complex environment with some established local businesses that are often teamed up with American or European corrosion companies for material supply and technological expertise.

It seems that there are competent corrosion engineers throughout the continent, with some countries having more than others. Invariably, it's a rather small fraternity of specialists. And yet the experience base is much smaller in their country than in the United States.

With our highly developed and highly regulated infrastructure system, American-based corrosion engineers are exposed to a lot more projects covering a lot more industries and applications than their typical counterparts in Asia.

When I discuss cathodic protection overseas, I find American technology, products, and know-how are well respected. Asia corrosion engineers are also excited to hear about our capabilities and experiences.

Despite the experience American CP engineers bring to Asia, doing business there still requires good local representation. Korea is one country that does have good local representation.

These Korean corrosion engineering companies work both domestically and internationally, often through one of the large Korean engineering and corrosion companies.

And India is making strides in this area. For example, Corrtech Ltd., an Indian CP firm that has been in business for almost 30 years, has earned a strong CP reputation. Corrtech and MATCOR recently entered a partnership to capitalize on India's booming economy and tremendous infrastructure needs.

There will be disappointments and lost projects along the way, but perseverance and persistence will allow us to grow in the Indian market.

Is nuclear disaster imminent?

2007-06-07T16:35:00.000-05:00

Chernobyl. The city is synonymous with nuclear catastrophe. The human and environmental toll exacted by this Soviet facility left an indelible mark on the Soviet Union’s engineering credibility, and played a role in the demise of its communist government.

The explosion at the Ukrainian facility is recognized as the worst nuclear plant accident ever. Yet, as those in the corrosion world know, even well-designed facilities are subject to the unrelenting march of time. This is true for protecting nuclear plants and dumping grounds.

Just last weekend, news broke that salt water had corroded three enormous storage tanks at a nuclear waste dump in the Russian Arctic, off the coast of Norway. The tanks held spent nuclear fuel rods.

These problems aren’t always a world away. The United States derives 20 percent of its electricy from some 100 nuclear facilities -- all in their third decade of operation, all nearing the end of their 40-year design life.

Some already received 20 year extensions to their operating permits by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Most of the rest are expected to apply for and receive extensions.

While the U.S. nuclear industry takes pride in its outstanding leak-free operation record, these aging facilities are increasingly at risk for corrosion.

Once example is Ohio's Besse-Davis facility. It was shut down in 2002, when a routine inspection uncovered a football-sized corroded area on the reactor head, the result of a leaking boric acid line.

These incidents should sound alarms. My proposed solution: The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) should work with the NRC to require all nuclear plants, storage facilities, and other such structures to develop aggressive integrity management programs, mirrored after the Department of Transportation’s pipeline integrity program. Frequent risk-based inspections are the only way to assure public safety.

Reflecting on a project of a lifetime

2007-05-18T14:10:00.000-05:00

When I pulled up to the world's third-largest usable space building, I knew I had to leave any fear of heights in the car.

This was in spring 2005, when I visited NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) in Cape Canaveral, Fla. My task was to examine how cathodic protection (CP) would stop the roof degradation of a national architectural landmark.

It’s not often that we get the opportunity to work on one of the most recognized buildings in the country, if not the world. So we were thrilled when NASA chose our conductive coating system -- the MATCOR CPBD-III -- as a long-term solution against the concrete roof's cracking, delamination, and spalling.

At first glance, I wondered how I would make it to the top of the 525-foot structure. The answer: an external steel construction elevator along the side of the building.

But before I made the climb with a NASA escort, every item I had on me was carefully examined. This went beyond accounting for loose change in pockets. It meant such detail as taping the stone in my college ring so it wouldn’t dislodge and fall on NASA personnel or assets.

The NASA message was clear: Safety in the air and on the ground came first. That was our mission. We were there to protect NASA employees and visitors from leaks and debris falling from the roof.

Indeed, the VAB roof had been deteriorating for years, to the point where NASA had to install a steel sub-roof to catch the concrete chunks. NASA technical liaisons then looked to stop corrosion of the conventional, steel-reinforced concrete roof.

NASA awarded that portion of the project to Cathodic Protection Technology, a MATCOR licensee in Florida and key partner on the project. CPT President Jim Emory joined me to examine the 214,500 square-foot surface area.

The material scope and logistics of this project were one of the most extensive MATCOR has engineered. With all items heading up the same construction elevator that took me to the top, the installation required a high level of logistics and planning.

Special features included maintenance considerations, such as installation of remote monitoring units (RMUs), so system parameters and activity could be monitored anywhere.

We commissioned the final customized system in February 2006 with eight separate CP zones. We left Florida knowing that one of our national landmarks was fully protected, and feeling completely pumped up that we had been involved.

Why small operators need CP consultants

2007-05-14T10:49:00.000-05:00

For some customers, staying on top of changing regulations in CP can be confusing and difficult. Pipeline operators who aren’t aware of the changes, and don’t communicate with industry standard setters, are likely to get burned.

But knowing when regulations change isn't easy. Often, new regulations come to our attention simply by talking with industry peers at conferences and meetings. These conversations open up good dialogue of how to approach CP in regard to changing regulations.

Case in point: I recently received a call from the owner of a small pipeline company in East Texas. He was concerned with the new PHMSA/state regulations, and how they would affect integrity-related issues. He was also trying to get a handle on state mandates, and how they synchronize with existing federal regulations.

It turned out he needed more than a good CP program to comply with these new regulations. He also needed a CP consultant who knew what regulations were about to be approved, so he could maximize his investment.

I advised him to find a consultant with the credentials to perform the integrity-related tasks new regulations require. Such credentials should include a wide range of services, professional affiliations such as NACE, and insurance that includes errors and omissions policies.

But here was my most important tip for the business owner: Find a consultant capable of handling the needs of smaller pipeline companies. To me, this meant a consultant who understands daily challenges small entities face, such as weighing business expansion with the necessity of industry standard compliance.

It might mean more upfront costs for small operators, but it will save headaches on the back-end. And that's a balance any business owner would be happy to strike.

Waiting for disaster to strike

2007-05-04T10:53:00.000-05:00

That sounds terrible, doesn't it? After all, we are in the business of preventing disaster. We use proven technologies to ward off catastrophic failures of metallic structures.

On the outside, we're the good guys who get to wear white hats. Yet, it is up to us to react with immediacy to spectacular failures that validate our existence as corrosion engineers.

Without them, nobody would be interested in corrosion prevention. The press would never show any interest in our work. And local state and the federal government would have no incentive to create regulations requiring corrosion control.

It would be great to prevent corrosion without the disaster. But that is not how we react as humans.

A great case in point is the power industry, a critical sector for the health of any country. The United States just finished a boom period that saw thousands of gas-fired power plants built over the past 20 years. Each one supplied their natural gas feed stocks from buried transmission pipelines, heavily regulated by the Department of Transportation and other local agencies.

And why are they heavily regulated? You guessed it -- disasters. Really nasty ones where gas pipelines explode, kill school children, and catch the attention of communities and politicians.

Every gas-fired power plant has a metering station, similar to a home's. At a power plant, the metering station is the boundary for ownership of the natural gas product and for responsibility for corrosion control.

Yet it's also the boundary for the regulations. Power plants are not bound to the same regulations that apply to gas pipeline companies. That means metering points outside the power plant undergo frequent corrosion testing and inspecting, while metering points within do not -- hence the existence of gas-fired plants with buried gas pipelines feeding their turbines.

Worse, power-plant personnel are blissfully unaware of the life-threatening risks below them. The corrosion control system that power plant designers often put in are contractor-grade, vanilla CP systems. These systems may work, but require frequent testing, and are easily knocked off line.

Designers often don’t care if the systems are not reliable because they only have a one-year plant warranty. After that, it is up to the operator to keep them online. And since operators are only concerned with producing energy, they don’t understand what CP system they have, what they need to make it work, or how to test it.

There are some exceptions -- plants that have well-designed, robust CP systems maintained and tested by qualified NACE CP Certified technicians. But they are few and far between.

If we have a catastrophic gas explosion at a power plant -- and in my opinion, that will happen soon -- perhaps the disaster would open the Power industry’s eyes. Because right now, their eyes are wide shut.

Local artist has brush with corrosion engineering

2007-04-24T12:15:00.000-05:00

It's nice to see how much the company I've owned and operated for over 32 years has grown. We keep adding new staff to our team of designers, engineers, and sales teams -- so much that we outgrew our space at our Doylestown, Pa. headquarters, and recently expanded our facilities.

But the newly leased space was a bit drab. So we hired Lynette Fries, a local artist who lives in Kintnersville, Pa., to give the place a splash of our global project images and color. She's painting a beautiful mural, which depicts many of MATCOR’s key global corrosion projects.

I think her work is just the thing to help create an innovative workplace for our ever-expanding company. More important, having the chance to see great talent such as Lynette’s supports the local community and promotes the arts -- a couple of my top priorities (in addition to saving the world and many of its treasures, one less corroded pipeline at a time!).

Just look at what Lynette has done so far to brighten our offices. She grew up in Warminster, but now makes Upper Bucks County her home. Lynette studied journalism at Temple University, and pursued several careers before finding her calling and joy with paints and creativity. Her work can also be found in children’s rooms, nurseries, and local business waiting areas.

She says she approaches each project by personalizing the images, and finding the right colors to meet each customer request. Well, we're one satisfied customer, Lynette! Thank you again for your hard work, creativity, and enthusiasm!

Here’s a quick view of Lynette below. We'll keep everyone updated on her progress, so be sure to check back for pictures of the finished project.

Put safety first, and profits will follow

2007-04-19T02:05:00.000-05:00

Last month, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) issued its report on the deadly blast at BP’s Texas City refinery in 2005. The industrial accident, the largest since 1990, killed 15 people and injured many more.

The report called attention to safety and process management improvements as a way to prevent such tragedies. I couldn’t agree more, and wanted to add a critical point I’ve learned from my years in the field.

Cost-cutting and poor planning during project management costs operators dearly in the long run. Refineries, like any other business, want to spend less and save more. But employee and building safety shouldn’t be sacrificed to reach the goal.

Tighter regulations and stricter test/inspection mandates are important for keeping workers safe, and running facilities smoothly. So make certain you follow them, and stay updated on all safety requirements.

Yes, keeping your employees and facilities in line with all safety standards can cost a pretty penny. But running damage control, rebuilding the refinery, and settling claims' with victims' families will require even more financial and emotional capital.

It’s better to be proactive with upfront expenditures -- and reduce the chance of tragedy -- than be reactive after a deadly event, and dig the company into a financial hole.

The lesson: Address safety and operations issues on the front end. Procrastination leaves companies open to accidents with disastrous consequences, a situation no conscientious organization wants to face.

Let's be upfront about corrosion

2007-04-17T07:47:00.000-05:00

Earlier this month, a pipeline spilled over 5 million gallons of raw sewage into the Buena Vista Lagoon, outside San Diego: .

A little up-front planning and consultation with experts/ engineers who understand this stuff, and I'd be blogging about a different subject today. Instead, Vista and Carlsbad: are running up a hefty $250,000 bill to repair the pipeline. Worse still, a mini environmental disaster is hurting the ecosystem, killing dozens fish and threatening the habitat of nearly 100 species of birds.

The Buena Vista Lagoon is just the latest victim in our country's constant (losing) battle against corroding pipelines. No matter how much is spent to repair pipelines, the problems seem to start all over again.

I know hindsight is 20-20, but remember, this is not the first significant pipeline leak - they are an all too frequent occurrence. Perhaps spending a little more effort on the front end to implement measures that prevent pipeline leaks, we, and our water, will all be a lot better off.

Thirty-two years in the pipeline

2007-04-10T15:50:00.000-05:00

I've owned MATCOR for over 32 years. That’s a long time -- and a heckuva lot of industry changes. Buildings are taller. Infrastructure is bigger and more complex. And the country has grown at a rip-roaring pace.

Yet you’d be surprised how much hasn't changed.

Take Forestville, N.Y., for instance. Some water pipes around town date back to President Lincoln’s day. I don't know about you, but I'd feel pretty uncomfortable drinking molecules that might have washed into the earth over 150 years ago.

Obviously, some of these pipe systems are reliable and long-lasting. Nonetheless, they still need to be replaced. Even pipes made of brick have corroded to a degree. This will be a costly investment for Forestville and similar towns across the U.S., but it's a necessary investment that can't wait another 150 years.

Perhaps U.S. Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI) said it best: "We have an antiquated infrastructure. We really need to help our localities protect the water and also the public health."

It's been a long time coming ... isn't now the perfect time for a change?

CP not a cure-all for advanced corrosion

2007-04-05T08:45:00.000-05:00

As a corrosion engineer, I field plenty of questions about corrosion protection (CP) and our niche technology. One person recently asked me if CP could be effective in extending the life of a rusted, 66-year-old pipe. If nothing is done, the pipe will last about two more years. It has had some leaks.

The short answer is yes, because CP can stop further damage on infrastructures with advanced corrosion. Tests should be conducted to determine the physical integrity of the pipeline. If it is physically OK and can be repaired, then the final decision rests with the owner and it is a economic/management decision they must make.

Today, there a number of tests that the engineer can conduct to determine the integrity of a pipeline and to greatly extend its life. There are even older pipelines still operating with functioning CP systems. The age of the pipeline isn’t the determining factor.

Got questions of your own? Drop me a line in the comments section, and I'll try to answer it in a future post.

Helping veterans help themselves

2007-04-04T08:54:00.000-05:00

The daily reports from Iraq highlight just how difficult and taxing a soldier's job can be. Equally hard: the transition from the battlefield to civilian life as a military veteran.

I know quite a few veterans, and have witnessed their struggles coping with -- or escaping from -- the harmful psychological effects of war. And readjusting to family life and 9-to-5 careers is even more challenging.

MATCOR is addressing these issues through our Veterans Training Program, where we teach vets corrosion testing and engineering. The program gives veterans useful technical skills, and helps them get in on the ground floor in a tight job market.

This is often the first 'real world' job for soldiers who joined the military right out of school. And it gives older veterans the chance to re-enter the working world, in the event they do not return to their former employers. We also benefit from the skills of those who trained with the Army Corps of Engineers.

I'll be writing more about this program in coming posts, and hope to share some stories of veterans who have successfully completed our program.

Will corrosion cost more than the Iraq War?

2007-03-16T10:38:00.000-05:00

I was just in our Houston office, checking on our military veterans training program. We've recruited and trained a number of veterans who want to follow an engineering career path after serving Uncle Sam. The candidates combine their military skills with cutting-edge engineering to protect our global infrastructure.

A number of the veterans in the program spent time in Iraq, and it got me thinking about other threats to our national security -- namely, our aging wastewater infrastructure.

We as a nation must combat this problem before it makes a serious impact on our quality of life. After doing a little research, I found a few interesting points that illustrate the gravity of our situation.

For starters, a recent report from the U.S. House Subcommittee on Water Resources and Development states a finding by the states a finding by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that over the next 20 years the country will need to invest $300 billion to $400 billion to restore and replace our aging wastewater infrastructure.

In another recent report, Colorado senator Ken Gordon pegged the cost of fighting terrorism at more than $500 billion. Fixing our aging wastewater infrastructure might cost as much or more than that.

It's going to take a mammoth effort, but it's crucial to preserve our infrastructure security, and, by extension, maintain the level of comfort our engineers have secured for us.

Governments from the municipal to state level in all 50 states are pouring money into aging water and wastewater systems. The fact that governments are taking an active stance to guard against corrosion is good news. However, if cathodic protection isn't part of the solution, they're flushing our tax dollars down the drain.

A little humor goes a long way

2007-03-15T16:30:00.000-05:00

There's always an air of apprehension clouding the entire exhibition hall on the last day. (If you've exhibited at the conference before, or any other conference for that matter, you know what I'm talking about.) Vendors eye one another waiting for the great tear-down.

But vendors not in plain sight tear down around lunchtime, ignoring show organizers' instructions to stay open until official close at 2 p.m.

And then comes the domino effect. By 1 p.m., half the exhibitors are demolishing their booths and crating their stuff. By 2 p.m., the fork lifts arrive to cart stuff away, and the exhibit hall staff begins pulling up the carpets.

Joe Pikas provided some levity to the long week. Yesterday, at our booth, he had us rolling in the aisles with his "Professor and the Driver" joke. This telling won't do it justice, but here it goes anyway:

A professor came up with a revolutionary technology to solve global warming. He decided to tour the country presenting his idea to investor groups to fund his start-up company.

He hired a chauffeur to schedule his talks, take care of the arrangements, and drive him to meetings.

At each stop, the chauffeur would stand at the back of the room while the professor gave his presentation and answered questions. After the first half-dozen lectures, the driver said to the professor, “I’ve listened to your talk so many times I could give it.”

The professor, feeling a little run down, called him on it. At the next presentation, he stood at the back of the room while the driver presented.

When someone asked a very pointed technical question that the driver had never heard before, he hesitated for a moment. The driver then said, “That question is so easy, my driver will answer it for you.”

A little humor goes a long way at the end of a grueling week.

Note to self: Language is important

2007-03-14T17:30:00.000-05:00

Today was a day of drama for our crew. I, for one, was feeling under the weather. After taking care of some things in the morning, I spent the rest of the day in bed.

But I got off lucky. Someone else in our group was sent to the hospital with a rather nasty-looking elbow. Turns out it was infected.

As for conference news, Joe Pikas of our Houston office moderated the (ECDA), one of Corrosion/2007's most popular forums. The forum focuses on External Corrosion Direct Assessment (ECDA)). This direct assessment process uses sophisticated above ground tools, called Indirect Inspection Tools (Indirect Inspection Tools), to find areas along a buried pipeline that are corroded or are at risk for corrosion. Gas pipeline operators generally use this process.

The forum spent the bulk of the day discussing changing the language on a footnote to an appendix chart in RP 0502. The footnote says (and I'm paraphrasing here) these tools shouldn't be used without special consideration. Unfortunately, these considerations aren't detailed, and the Department of Transportation (DOT), which regulates pipelines, focuses on the “not to be used” language.

The writers of the regulation, many of whom were at the meeting, didn't intend to preclude these tools from being used. They merely wanted to note that special considerations might be warranted.

After two hours of discussion, the members decided to change the language to “these tools may be used with special considerations.” Another hour was spent deciding how to implement a change within NACE’s standards process.

Where's efficiency when you need it?

A brief lesson in CP

2007-03-14T12:37:00.000-05:00

I deal with corrosion all day, so I have to be reminded that not everyone out there is well-versed in cathodic protection.

Thus this mini history lesson on the subject. While not the oldest profession in the world, CP (as we call it in the industry) dates back to the early 19th century. Sir Humphry Davy a British chemist and physicist, first developed it in 1824.

Davy attached chunks of iron to the outer hull of a copper-clad ship, knowing that the added protection would prevent the hull from rusting. And thus, cathodic protection was born.

While CP has advanced since Sir Davy’s time, the basic concept is the same. CP controls the corrosion of a metal surface by making that surface the cathode of an electrochemical cell.

It protects metal structures, such as reinforced steel rebar, from corroding, and prevents any complications that would arise. Today, it's used to prevent concrete buildings from falling and pipelines from leaking. A very noble practice I'd say.

Houston, we got coverage

2007-03-13T17:16:00.000-05:00

Great story today in the Bucks County Intelligencer about our work down in Florida on the NASA Vehicle Assembly Building. It really captures the scope of that project.

While I'm excited about the coverage, I secretly posted this so everyone can see the paper's creative headline. Love it!

NACE conference a go in Nashville

2007-03-12T11:07:00.000-05:00

If it's the middle of March, it must mean I'm -- no, not filling out my basketball bracket (TCU's not in it this year) -- in Nashville attending the annual NACE conference.

Since arriving on Sunday, I've caught up with a number of familiar faces in the industry. It looks like it will be an interesting week.

Today, I'm attending my first technical conference of the week with the Cathodic Protection Technical Evaluation Group (TEG). When the group met last year, it delved deeply into the critical and sometimes contentious topic of Cathodic Protection Criteria.

This will likely be the focus of the conference this time around, too. The definition of Cathodic Protection Criteria is a fundamental issue that could affect how owners and operators under legislative/regulatory requirements meet NACE Criteria. It's also a critical topic for NACE as it tries to get the criteria accepted internationally.

Poorly established criteria could adversely affect companies that work in good faith to satisfy regulatory requirements and protect their assets and public safety. Criteria that are too confining can undermine NACE initiatives.

This means that pipeline and infrastructure owners and operators who aren't under regulatory requirements might choose not to spend the money on cathodic protection. So while -850 mV on potential versus -850 mV off potential might not seem like a big difference, it does have consequences.

The one time you don't want to travel to the future

2007-03-11T21:33:00.000-05:00

The switch to daylight saving time three weeks early might have thrown some people for a loop. I, however, made sure I paid attention. Today I was traveling to Nashville for the NACE Convention, and had to make sure I made my flight.

While there's little impact if you show up an hour late for a movie because you forgot to turn the clock ahead, having your plane leave without you and missing key appointments just won't wash.

Thankfully, I sprung forward before going to bed, and made my flight in plenty of time. I think next year I'll leave a day early.

Stepping up for the environment

2007-03-09T15:37:00.000-05:00

Here's a very interesting article I recently read concerning the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline (BTC), which transports oil from the Caspian Sea to the Eastern Mediterranean. The pipeline started pumping oil in 2005, but since its proposal almost 10 years prior, the region's environmentalists have roundly criticized it.

To add fuel to their fire, BP, whose troubles in Alaska continue, leads the consortium that built BTC. This raises a legitimate concern: If BP is facing corrosion problems at its most modern pipelines, such as the Northstar oil field, how can it stop them in older ones?

Thankfully, BP is addressing this problem by making its pipelines environmentally friendly -- an approach it extended to its work with BTC. From conception through completion, the BTC consortium took great care in addressing issues ranging from emissions to corrosion prevention.

The result: The BTC pipeline is coated with a three-layer polyethylene system to help guard against corrosion. This coating is one of several options for corrosion control, which pipeline designers now realize is essential for pipeline longevity and safety.

Without these safeguards in place, pipelines will corrode and leak harmful chemicals into the ground, causing irreparable damage. And though no one likes to root for the perceived 'bad guy,' BP deserves applause for making the environmental effort.

BP hits another kink in the pipeline

2007-03-08T12:37:00.000-05:00

BP might have thought this year couldn’t be worse than last. But it's hit another oil slick with news about the shutdown of its Northstar oil field -- six miles from the Prudhoe Bay site -- hitting media outlets around the country.

This time around, an employee discovered a sputtering leak in a gas line, forcing the suspension of 40,000 barrels a day. That sounds almost exactly like what BP faced last summer. As of this posting, BP couldn’t say when the Northstar oil field will be up and running again.

It makes me wonder about the economic effect of repeated oil field shutdowns. Fortunately, oil prices haven't been affected by this latest pipeline corrosion problem. But any prolonged closure would surely mean skyrocketing oil prices, and an edge toward the $3 mark once again.

With pipelines aging and corroding at an alarming rate, the implications are clear. Further disruptions could spell an environmental and economic disaster.

Bottom line: Companies that use pipelines should take steps to make sure they're safe for the sake of the economy.