Corrosion support for the pharmaceutical industry
We offer you support to solve your questions with regard to material degradation, to inspect rouging or other material degradation in your installations or to let you perform corrosion tests in-situ.
ON-SITE CONSULTANCY
Pharmaceutical companies typically do not require to permanently hire a full-time materials engineer. However, at some time there may be a need for a materials engineer to assist in specific projects.
What METALogic can offer to you:
- Based on your specific needs we select the right expert with the required expertise;
- Our experts can work at your facilities during an agreed time, so no need to hire a full-time materials engineer;
- We deliver fast and efficiently;
- Count on a flexible planning.
ROUGING MEASUREMENTS
Stainless steel is the most used manufacturing material in the pharmaceutical industry due to its high corrosion resistance and hygienic requirements. Unfortunately, when in contact with high purity water (HPW) the passivation layer is progressively attacked leaving the SS surface prone to corrosion. This is called rouging, and its name relates directly to the colour of the corrosion products associated with it, iron oxide.
What to do when rouging/discoloration is observed? We inspect the installation and based on our findings we give you advice about:
- Root cause of the rouging/discoloration;
- Possible cleaning procedures (in consultation with specialized cleaning companies).
The advantages of Rouging Measurements:
- Get extensive knowledge about root cause and influencing factors of rouging/discoloration;
- Clean your installation more efficiently.
CORROSION INSPECTION
You’re encountering corrosion problems, but you do not have the option to cut out or remove the affected part? Our inspectors come on-site for an inspection that typically includes:
- Visual inspection of the degradation/corrosion;
- Gathering relevant background information/data about the conditions/history;
- Sampling of corrosion products/deposits for further analysis in the lab.
Inspection can also be the first step of a more detailed root cause analysis. Details matter and are often missed by the inexperienced eye. Our inspectors and engineers give you advice on how to proceed in order to find the root cause of even the most challenging cases.
The advantages of corrosion inspection:
- Non-destructive;
- Fast response: we can be on-site within one day.
IN-SITU EXPOSURE TESTS
The best corrosion test is an exposure test under real process conditions. To do this we make use of corrosion coupons which can be installed in-situ. Corrosion coupons are pieces of metal of the same alloy/surface finish as the installation itself. We provide you with pre-weighed coupons which are sent back for evaluation after exposure. Enameled coupons can be delivered as well.
We carefully examine the exposed coupons. Our examinations include:
- Photographic documentation of the coupon before/after cleaning;
- Assessment of the corrosion type (uniform versus localized);
- Determination of uniform corrosion rate based on weight loss measurements;
- Determination of localized corrosion rate (pitting rate) based on light optical microscopy.
Want to follow up corrosion rates in real-time? On-line corrosion monitoring allows you to identify trends in corrosion rate. Valuable information can be gained by linking trends in corrosion rate with the actual conditions.
We assist you in finding the best location to install the probe (worst case conditions) as well as with the interpretation of the results.
The advantages of in-situ exposure tests
- Knowledge about impact of conditions on corrosion rate;
- An average corrosion rate over the exposure period, under real conditions;
- On-line monitoring measures actual corrosion rate and shows trends.
