The reality: thus far, there is no product that can stop corrosion. The best products can do is slow down the process. And it is the degree of slowing it down that matters, asserts Greg Combrink, Past President of the Corrosion Institute of Southern Africa.
By Jimmy Swira
Dealing with corrosion remains the bane of reliability heads in African heavy industry. However, they have no choice but to put up with it and ensure they minimise its impact on the availability of mission-critical equipment.
Currently, reliability heads are exploring various solutions available on the market that best suit their needs. And as they are involved in this exercise, they must be wary of falling for exaggerated claims of wonder solutions.
This is the advice from Greg Combrink, Past President of CorrISA and a tireless advocate for best practice in the fight against corrosion.
In marketing materials, some organisations claim they can stop corrosion. This is false advertising and misleading, disputes Greg Combrink, cautioning customers – especially those desperate for a quick fix – to exercise prudence.
Contrary to misconception, the reality is that corrosion is a sophisticated and complex process. “On the face of it, methods used to fight corrosion are seemingly simple (and some solutions can indeed be simple). However, more often than not, a lot of research has gone into these methods,” he elaborates.
“‘Fighting corrosion’ is the correct term – as in practice, very few, if any, methods exist that can truly stop corrosion,” he adds.
“Normally, all fighting methods do is retard the rate of corrosion. Admittedly, some do it so well that it seems they have completely stopped corrosion. However, in fact, all they do is slow it down to an acceptable rate.”
Combrink reiterates: “Keep this in mind: retarding corrosion is not the same as stopping corrosion.”
Generally, there is still a lot of research to be done in corrosion control. Hopefully, ongoing research and development could result in products that will retard the progression of corrosion better. Consequently, this could improve equipment availability in heavy industry.
