This week, will discuss how cathodic protection works and how it can be applied in practice to protect metallic structures.Firstly, we’ll discuss some of the basic principles behind cathodic protection, and we will see how some of the concepts you have learned in the other units are applied in a cathodic protection scenario.Subsequently, we’ll discuss some aspects related to the design of cathodic protection systems, such as for example the criteria that have to be satisfied to achieve a good level of corrosion protection, or the method used to assess the requirements for an existing structure in terms of cathodic protection current.Finally, we’ll touch on cathodic protection of reinforced concrete structures, discussing the factors that contribute to good concrete quality and discussing how we can protect the reinforcement steel bars by using cathodic protection.This week’s material is split into 6 sessions. Each session lasts approximately 20 minutes; at the end of each session, there will be a quiz to test your knowledge.

In Week 3, we will introduce Surface Engineering. The learning materials for this week are organised into five sections. Throughout the week, we will clarify what surface engineering is and why surfaces are important. We will look into how coatings protect surfaces from corrosion and will discuss coating design criteria. We will also consider various Surface Engineering techniques. Finally, we will turn our attention to industrial applications of coatings for corrosion protection, coating performance and failure mechanisms.

Week 4 provides an introduction to oilfield corrosion science and engineering. You will learn about pertinent corrosion phenomena, as well as other degradation processes, along with approaches to minimise facility degradation. Specific topics include: types of oilfield equipment; sweet/sour corrosion; seawater corrosion; scaling; erosion; corrosion prediction; corrosion inhibition; corrosion management. All content in this section is section is licensed under Creative Commons Atrribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License