Having a corrosion monitoring system is essential for protecting the life of your pipelines and other critical assets. This equipment enables you to keep a close eye on the condition of your infrastructure so you can make repairs or replacements before they have an opportunity to disrupt your production. But it’s important to note that these systems require the right upkeep themselves, otherwise they won’t be able to warn you of corrosion and they’ll lose their effectiveness. This is why it’s necessary to create a structured maintenance program for your corrosion monitoring equipment to ensure its functionality and reliability.
With an effective program for corrosion monitoring maintenance, you can rest assured that your equipment will provide the early warnings you need to keep your pipelines in good working order. But what goes into a preventive maintenance strategy for corrosion inspection equipment, and how can operators implement it in the most effective manner?
Key Preventative Maintenance Strategies
Before creating a schedule for corrosion monitoring maintenance activities, it’s important to know what they are and what is required by your current setup. Fortunately, these systems are relatively easy to care for, as long as you know what they need:
- Inspections — Typically, it’s recommended that corrosion control systems be inspected at least every two months to make sure they are performing as expected. This includes making sure probes or corrosion coupons are properly inserted into the process flow, probes are properly connected and control systems are functioning properly.
- Cleaning — Corrosion probes may become affected by a buildup of solids on their surfaces, which can lead to inaccurate readings that have a negative impact on a corrosion monitoring program. It’s always a good idea to refer to the manufacturer’s recommendations for cleaning and inspections, although the typical rule of thumb is to check and clean them at least every two months.
- Calibration — Making sure your corrosion monitoring equipment is delivering accurate results about corrosion rates is extremely important. Depending on your system, this may involve checking the data against known corrosion rates for specific materials. Again, you should refer to the user’s manual that came with your system for specific guidance about how to calibrate the equipment and how often this should be performed.
Understanding the specific timeline for your equipment’s maintenance needs will be important for establishing an effective preventative maintenance schedule. In most cases, the documentation provided by the manufacturer of your system should serve as the foundation of your strategy. Taking a preventative approach to maintaining your corrosion monitoring system can help you avoid many of the biggest issues that can arise because you’ll be taking care of minor problems before they develop into larger ones.
Common Issues & Troubleshooting Tips
Your facility’s corrosion monitoring system needs to be kept in good working order to be at its most effective. Unfortunately, there may be instances where it doesn’t perform as it should, in which case your technicians or maintenance team may need to take specific actions to troubleshoot them. Here are a few of the most common issues these systems may encounter along with some tips for resolving them:
- Sensor Drift or Malfunction — If your system’s probes and sensors seem to be providing data that’s out of the norm even though the conditions within the pipeline haven’t changed, there may be a fault somewhere in the system. You can resolve this by inspecting the sensors to make sure they are properly inserted, connected and free from damage. Checking the results against an approved standard for corrosion can tell you if there may be any calibration issues that need to be resolved. Replacing the probe should be considered a last resort if all else fails.
- Missing or Corrupted Data — If you’re not receiving data from a probe or sensor, or if the data you receive is incomplete or corrupted, you may need to resolve an issue with transmission. This could mean there is a network issue that is preventing communication between the probe and the rest of the system. You may need to find a way to boost the signal between the probe and the system, or relocate something that may be interfering with the transmission.
- Inaccurate Readings — Results that don’t match reality when you inspect the pipeline could be an indicator of something serious. This could come down to an issue with the calibration of your sensors or it could be something unrelated to the equipment. For example, a change in environmental conditions inside or outside the pipeline could influence the accuracy of the readings provided. If you notice readings that prove to be inaccurate, data analysis could be helpful in revealing the underlying cause.
The Cost of Corrosion Monitoring Maintenance
There’s no doubt that keeping up with the maintenance your corrosion monitoring system needs can add to your overhead. It requires a commitment of time, labor and capital to ensure all elements of your system are working as they are intended. However, what little is spent on maintaining these systems is nothing compared to the consequences if you don’t.
Without proper corrosion monitoring, your pipelines, vessels and other assets can be at risk of sudden and unexpected failure. Corrosion weakens the materials and makes them likely to fail under even everyday use. If this is allowed to happen, it can result in a disastrous loss of productivity. This is not to mention the potential threat to employees’ health and safety, or the environmental impact of products being unexpectedly released into the ecosystem.
Compared to what it may cost you if you don’t keep your corrosion monitoring system working properly, maintenance is a small price to pay.
Training and Compliance in Corrosion Monitoring Maintenance
In addition to following the manufacturer’s recommended maintenance guidelines for your corrosion monitoring system, it’s also important to make sure your technicians are fully trained in corrosion prevention. Depending on your industry, there may be specific certifications that workers must have to conduct corrosion prevention and mitigation activities. Fortunately, there are numerous resources and organizations that can provide your team with the skills and expertise they need to make the biggest impact.
Common Industry Misconceptions About Corrosion Monitoring Maintenance
The unfortunate truth about corrosion monitoring maintenance is that many operations don’t make the full commitment to it due to misconceptions. One of the biggest of these is that corrosion monitoring systems don’t require frequent attention. Many of these systems include sophisticated sensor technology that must be kept in good condition to be at its most effective, which calls for regular maintenance.
Another belief that can hinder companies is that it’s generally less expensive to replace parts than to keep up with regular servicing of the system. This viewpoint fails to take into account the very real and serious consequences of having a monitoring system that does not do its job, with equipment failures costing far more than simply replacing the faulty elements.
Get Expert Corrosion Monitoring Maintenance With SMARTCORR®
As the leaders when it comes to corrosion monitoring systems, SMARTCORR® offers you the expertise and skill you need to keep yours in prime condition. Our experts understand these systems better than just about anyone, meaning they can deliver the ideal blend of know-how and predictive maintenance strategies to ensure the best overall results. If you’d like to learn more about everything we can do for your corrosion monitoring systems, reach out and speak with a member of our team today.