Degradation of materials in aqueous systems

从环境和经济的角度来看，金属的腐蚀都是非常有害的。腐蚀会导致化学物质泄漏，效率下降，并可能对人类造成危害。此外，据估计，腐蚀对工业化国家造成的损失约占其国民生产总值的5%。该提案的第一部分涉及开发方法来预测和改善从石油和天然气到核能发电等许多工业中使用的金属和合金的寿命。裂缝腐蚀可能是一种特别具有破坏性的腐蚀形式，因为有时只有在即将发生故障时才会注意到它。本研究的目的是开发一种计算机软件工具，可用于确定导致这种腐蚀的情况。一个实验程序将并行运行。二氧化碳腐蚀是发生在油田设备中的一种流动加速腐蚀。将开发一个计算机模型，并进行一项关于去除保护金属免受这种形式腐蚀的薄膜的实验研究。在受微生物影响的腐蚀中，细菌会产生硫化氢气体，这既会导致原油变酸，又会增加腐蚀速率。将研究阻止这种有毒气体产生并降低腐蚀速度的环保方法。该提案的第二部分涉及颗粒肥料，如钾肥和尿素，当它们暴露在潮湿的空气条件下时的降解。如果少量水分进入这些产品的储存床，可能会形成团块，这使得肥料难以分配。在这项研究中，将检查这种结块发生的条件，并研究有可能减轻这种现象的添加剂的作用。

The corrosion of metals is very damaging from both environmental and economic standpoints. Corrosion can cause leakage of chemicals, loss of efficiency and it can be hazardous to the population. In addition, it is estimated that the cost of corrosion to industrialized countries is approximately 5 % of their GNP. The first part of this proposal is concerned with the development of methods to predict and improve the lifetime of metals and alloys that used in many industries, from oil and gas, to nuclear power generation. Crevice corrosion can be a particularly destructive form of corrosion as it is sometimes only noticed when failure is imminent. The purpose of this research is the development of a computer software tool that can be used to determine the situations that will cause this type of corrosion. An experimental program will be run in parallel. Carbon dioxide corrosion is a flow-accelerated attack that occurs in oil field equipment. A computer model will be developed and an experimental study will be undertaken on the removal of films that protect the metal from this form of corrosion.  In microbiologically influenced corrosion, bacteria produce hydrogen sulphide gas, which causes both souring of crude oil and increased corrosion rates. Environmentally friendly methods to stop the production of this poisonous gas and reduce the corrosion rate will be investigated. The second part of this proposal is concerned with the degradation of granular fertilizers such as potash and urea when they are exposed to humid air conditions. If small amounts of moisture enter storage beds of these products, clumps may be formed, which makes it difficult to distribute the fertilizer. In this research the conditions under which this clumping occurs will be examined and the actions of additives that have the potential to mitigate this phenomenon will be investigated.