Citation
(2005), "New environmental test complex at TWI", Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, Vol. 52 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/acmm.2005.12852eab.014
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2005, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
New environmental test complex at TWI
New environmental test complex at TWI
The latest addition to TWI's expansion and redevelopment, a new environmental test complex has been formally opened. It is named after the late Dr Trevor Gooch in recognition of his groundbreaking corrosion work gained during a 35 year career at TWI in environmental testing and performance of materials.
The development was prompted by TWI's recent re-location of the original hydrogen sulphide laboratory from the other side of the TWI site. The move gave the business the opportunity it needed to pull together under one roof a wide range of environmental test facilities, complemented by the electrochemical laboratory.
The new complex comprises seven individual laboratories and a control room, covering a total floor area of about 350 m2. In addition to a wide range of tests in sour and sweet environments to support the oil and gas industry it embraces several types of static and dynamic environmental test including salt spray, creep testing of plastics in hot water and tests on sustained load cracking of titanium alloys in cold seawater.
Ventilation, consisting of general room extraction and positive supply of fresh air (heated if required) is provided throughout, and there are local extraction points, either extracting from permanent enclosures or fume cupboards or available where required via flexible hoses. Ring main supplies of N2 and H2S gases have been installed, and disposal of test gases is also via a central collection system, which pipes them to activated carbon filters, and the main ventilation stack.
A sealed drainage system has been provided, and test solutions can be pumped directly into this, eliminating the risk of out-gassing into laboratory air space. There are fixed hydrogen sulphide monitors throughout the laboratories, linked to controls and alarms. Portable monitors are carried by staff.
Corrosion fatigue is a relatively recent development in sour testing at TWI. Corrosion fatigue testing in other environments, notably seawater with and without cathodic polarisation, has been carried out for many years, and continues to take place within the fatigue laboratories.
Such testing in sour environments needs much closer attention to environmental control however, and in particular to control of oxygen level, and also requires all the safety measures associated with hydrogen sulphide. So servo-hydraulic equipment has been added to the range of static load and screw driven slow strain rate equipment in the sour service testing area.
Using a hydraulic supply, four specially designed 500 kN test rigs have been installed for carrying out corrosion fatigue tests on strip specimens in tensile axial loading, as well as three lower load capacity servo-hydraulic machines, which are used for fatigue crack growth rate testing.
A range of 5L autoclaves, and slow strain rate testing equipment has also been installed in an adjacent room.
To learn more about TWI's new environmental test laboratory call Richard Pargeter at Abington.
For further information, please contact: E-mail: richard.pargeter@twi.co.uk