Case Study
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Corrosion and materials degradation are significant challenges for critical engineering structures such as underground energy pipelines and offshore wind turbines. These issues lead to a shorter-than-desired design life, which is unsustainable and wasteful from a lifecycle assessment perspective.
Deakin University Professor of Applied Electrochemistry and Corrosion Technologies Dr Mike Yongjun Tan is the Lead Entrepreneur on the Proseware project, which is addressing this problem.
The Proseware project aims to field test and validate a new and patent-pending corrosion control technology on the path to commercialisation and industry application.
The project is supported by an Australia’s Economic Accelerator Seed grant, part of the Australian Government’s $1.6 billion initiative aimed at translating world-leading research into real and tangible innovations.
The solution, Professor Tan says, is smart closed-loop cathodic protection technology.
Closed-loop cathodic protection technology is a smart system that protects metal structures from corrosion by automatically adjusting protection levels based on real-time monitoring.
It mitigates complex and localised forms of corrosion, enabling the extension of the safe operational life and enhancing the safety, durability and sustainability of industrial assets.
“The project involves re-engineering and demonstrating specialised equipment for protecting engineering infrastructure exposed to complex and tough industrial environment conditions,” Professor Tan says.
“Field testing results have shown the technology’s ability to reduce underground pipeline corrosion by 90%, confirming its ability to significantly extend the life of engineering structure assets.”
The project team is working on industry applications and with industry partners to commercialise the technology, with a focus on marketing, intellectual property and business development.
New collaborations have been generated with industry partners through exhibitions at professional conferences and by word-of-mouth among experts in the field.
Through these collaborations, testing of the technology is underway or planned with various industries, including for underground pipelines, offshore wind turbines, solar and wind farms and gold mining tanks.
In principle, the closed-loop cathodic protection technology could be used to protect almost all steel structure exposed to corrosive and conductive media.
It’s another exciting example of the world-leading research taking place in Australia and the importance of research-industry collaboration.
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