Small Ultrasound-Based Corrosion Sensor for Intraday Corrosion Rate Estimation

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Environmental Monitoring
• Sensor Technology

Background:

• Traditional corrosion monitoring using coupons is labor-intensive and provides infrequent data.
• Coastal and marine environments pose significant challenges for material durability due to corrosive elements.
• Accurate, real-time corrosion assessment is vital for infrastructure integrity, especially in offshore applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present an unattended corrosion sensor system based on ultrasound (US) technology.
• To evaluate the system's effectiveness in assessing thickness loss from atmospheric corrosion in a coastal region.
• To demonstrate the system's potential for monitoring corrosion in offshore wind turbines.

Main Methods:

• Development of a low-power, unattended sensor node utilizing FPGA, microcontroller, and analog front-end devices.
• Deployment of the sensor system with an S355 steel sample in Gran Canaria's coastal region.
• Continuous data acquisition over 5 months, with measurements taken at 6-hour intervals (5 readings per set).

Main Results:

• The system successfully detected thickness loss of the S355 steel sample.
• An average corrosion rate equivalent to a thickness loss of 0.134 mm/year was continuously monitored.
• The system proved viable for real-time corrosion assessment in a challenging marine-influenced environment.

Conclusions:

• The developed ultrasound-based sensor system is a viable, low-power alternative to traditional corrosion monitoring methods.
• The system's ability to continuously monitor corrosion rates highlights its potential for proactive maintenance of offshore structures.
• This technology offers a promising solution for enhancing the safety and longevity of assets in marine and coastal environments.