Editorial

Citation

Cox, W.M. (2007), "Editorial", Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, Vol. 54 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/acmm.2007.12854faa.001

Editorial

One of my interests outside ACMM is professional training and certification, and an issue came up recently in that context that I felt highlighted the complex nature of materials selection, corrosion prevention, and plant inspection, all of which are closely interconnected in modern process plant environments.

The Chairman of the Technical Professional Career Progression (TPCP) Steering Group in a major state oil company for which I undertake competency assessment commented that there seemed to be “too many” disciplines on the TPCP Ruler, compared to those required in other disciplines such as “Pipelines” or “Structural Equipment”! This of course, illustrates the difference between materials and corrosion, which encompasses everything from alloy selection to chemical treatment, failure investigation and mechanical testing to cathodic protection, weld inspection to coatings application, MIC to high-temperature corrosion. These skills also are applied in an unusually wide variety of circumstances: “upstream” and “downstream” refining and petrochemical processing, power generation and food production, transportation and civil construction.

On the one hand, such an array of applications means that there is continuous interest in materials and corrosion technology, both on behalf of the client who forever seems to have a problem to solve, and for the corrosion engineer whose role it is to find the answers. On the other hand, however, it is important for competent engineers to recognise where their own expertise runs out and when it is time to consult with a colleague whose greater knowledge of a specialist area may be vital when considering the implications of a new application or service environment. It is evidence of strength, not weakness, when a good engineer holds up his or her hand and calls for a second opinion on this or that aspect of corrosion control, in order to ensure that all bases are covered. It is unusual in the extreme, for example, for chemical treatment specialists to be also fluent in the finer points of high-temperature chloride corrosion. It is equally unusual for a highly competent cathodic protection engineer also to be conversant in nickel alloy selection for chemical processing applications.

I remember one of the first statements made on the corrosion MSc course at UMIST was that “Corrosion is a multi-disciplinary subject”. Looking around the class we found that chemists, metallurgists, mechanical engineers, microbiologists, chemical engineers, and even civil and construction engineers were represented in the group. How lucky we are as corrosion technologists to have the opportunity to have such a broad range of subjects to cover. We're automatically brought into contact with a vast range of individuals who possess the skills needed to develop comprehensive materials selection and corrosion management strategies. Lack of advanced knowledge in a specialist area can be something to celebrate, not be ashamed of, provided of course, that you have sufficient knowledge to understand the questions that need to be asked and the sources of the information required to answer them. I trust, therefore, that ACMM assists you not only in obtaining advanced information in your own specialist subject area, but also in developing a breadth of background knowledge in other corrosion-related fields. Hopefully the journal will bring awareness of issues and concerns outside your own specialist area and put you in touch with colleagues whose interests and expertise are complementary to your own.

William M. Cox