Understanding flow accelerated corrosion of pumps used in net-zero energy applications

This PhD will investigate flow accelerated corrosion of cast iron and carbon steel pump components in conditions representative of net-zero energy applications, in collaboration with Sulzer. Flow accelerated corrosion critically limits the lifespan of flow system components, being prevalent across energy transition applications (e.g. carbon capture and storage, geothermal energy).

Due to the complex hydrodynamics that are encountered in the infrastructure of net-zero energy applications, e.g. pumps, flow accelerated corrosion is poorly understood. A clear relationship between hydrodynamics and flow accelerated corrosion will be established through the combination of experiments in bespoke flow cells and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations to characterise fluid flow behaviour.

By designing a bespoke high velocity flow cell, integrated with electrochemical sensing, spatially resolved corrosion measurements can be performed to understand material degradation. Combining experimental data with CFD simulations of the flow will enable hydrodynamic parameters to be extracted and a relationship between corrosion and flow to established.