Monitoring of corrosion
AssigneeUnited Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority
InventorsThomas W. Conlon, Constantin Edeleanu
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of and apparatus for the detection of pitting corrosion, in which simultaneous measurements of the rate of loss of material from a body under test are made by means of changes in the resistance of the body and thin layer activation analysis. If the body is corroding uniformly, the rate of loss of material as measured by each technique is the same; if pitting corrosion is occuring, then the two measured rates of loss of material are different.
Claims8
A method of detection and measurement of pitting corrosion in a corrosive environment, comprising the operations of exposing to the corrosive environment a corrodible element, a surface region of which has been rendered radioactive, measuring changes in a parameter of the element which is susceptible to the effects of corrosion of the element, simultaneously either measuring changes in the activity of the element or the growth of activity at a station downstream of the element, deriving from both sets of measurements indications of the rate of removal of corroded material from the element and comparing the indicated rates of removal of material from the element.
An apparatus for the detection and measurement of pitting corrosion in a corrosive environment, comprising means for supporting in a flowing corrosive environment a corrodible element, a surface region of which is arranged to be radioactive, means for measuring changes in a parameter of the element as a result of corrosion of the element and deriving therefrom a first signal representative of the rate of corrosion of the element, means for measuring either changes in the activity of the element or growth of activity at a station downstream of the element and deriving a second signal therefrom indicative of the rate of removal of active material from the element and means for comparing the first and second signals.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.