I-Corps: Microbial Corrosion Monitor

这个i-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是通过开发微生物腐蚀监测仪来改进腐蚀监测。美国有超过260万英里的管道，微生物腐蚀给管道运营商带来了巨大的成本。目前，操作员会收到产品故障的警报，并开始使用微生物影响腐蚀(MIC)试剂盒、腐蚀试剂盒和实验室测试进行腐蚀测试。腐蚀测试的结果可能需要数周时间，在此期间微生物群落可能会发生变化，缓蚀策略将不会成功。开发一种能够立即确定微生物生长何时会导致腐蚀的探头，可能会对腐蚀管理产生重大影响。这样的调查可能会引起石油和天然气、水处理、食品生产和环境监测领域的消费者的兴趣。腐蚀监测行业对非生物腐蚀损伤的探头和监测器已经有了很大的需求。下一代腐蚀监测仪可以很好地定义为能够结合对微生物生长及其对腐蚀的影响的实时监测的能力。这个i-Corps项目基于一种创新的探测器，能够在腐蚀开始之前预测微生物生长何时会导致微生物影响的腐蚀(MIC)。这里开发的MIC仪器由一个探头组成，可以监测完全由微生物生长引起的腐蚀的类型和严重程度。这是我们的探测器所独有的，因为所有其他可用的探测器都无法区分非生物腐蚀和生物腐蚀。该探头结合了开口室/零阻安培法(ZRA)和电化学阻抗谱技术。通过探头获得的数据用一种新的算法进行分析，该算法提供生物腐蚀的实时腐蚀率数据，确定腐蚀类型，并将生物腐蚀从低到严重评级。该仪器可用于快速筛选从样本中分离出来的不同微生物的腐蚀能力。这将使操作员能够快速确定哪些类型的微生物造成腐蚀，并允许他们部署适当的杀菌剂。立即检测到MIC将使管道运行更安全，减少停机时间，并降低管道运行的总体成本。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is improving corrosion monitoring through development of a microbial corrosion monitor. There are over 2.6 million miles of pipeline in the United States and microbial corrosion leads to substantial costs for the pipeline operators. Currently, operators are alerted to a breakdown of product and begin corrosion testing using a combination of microbially influenced corrosion (MIC) kits, corrosion coupons, and laboratory testing. Results from corrosion testing can take weeks, during which time the microbial community can change and the corrosion mitigation strategy will be unsuccessful. Development of a probe capable of immediately determining when microbial growth will cause corrosion could have a significant impact on corrosion management. Such a probe could be of interest for consumers in oil and gas, water treatment, food production, and environmental monitoring. There is already great demand in the corrosion monitoring industry for probes and monitors to access abiotic corrosion damage. The next generation of corrosion monitors could very well be defined by the ability to incorporate real-time monitoring for microbial growth and its impact on corrosionThis I-Corps project is based on an innovative probe that is able to predict when microbial growth will lead to microbially influenced corrosion (MIC), before the onset of corrosion. The MIC instrument developed here is comprised of a probe that can monitor type and severity of corrosion caused solely by microbial growth. This is unique to our probe, as all other available probes cannot distinguish between abiotic and biotic corrosion. The probe uses a combination of split-chamber/zero-resistance ammetry (ZRA) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy techniques. The data obtained by the probe is analyzed with a new algorithm that gives real-time corrosion rate data for biotic corrosion, determines the type of corrosion, and rates the biotic corrosion from low to severe. The instrument can be used to quickly screen for the corrosion-causing ability of different organisms that are isolated from a sample. This will allow operators to quickly determine which types of organisms are causing corrosion and allow them to deploy the proper biocide. Immediate detection of MIC will allow for safer pipeline operation, decrease downtime, and decrease the overall cost of pipeline operation.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.