Alternative Technologies for Corrosion Prevention - An Analytical Toolkit

Abstract

At the same time as we are attempting to improve corrosion protection in military systems we are faced with increasingly stringent environmental and health restrictions on our primary corrosion inhibitors -cadmium and hexavalent chromium. This has sparked a search for alternatives, but there tends to be an expectation that the alternatives will never match the high performance or low cost of the originals. However, our experience with corrosion and wear resistant technologies has been the opposite -that it is possible for new technologies to improve upon the performance of the old, and to do so at substantially lower life cycle cost. This is the case because the old standbys are often not as reliable as they are assumed to be, and newer technologies are frequently far superior. The process or materials costs of the new technologies tend to be higher, but often pale in comparison with the savings that accrue from improved performance.In looking for better alternatives it is important to think outside the box, and consider technologies that at first may not seem to be the obvious options. And when evaluating the costs and benefits it is equally important to understand how the weapons system is made and maintained, and what drives its major life cycle costs, since the most important costs may not be at all the items that come up in a typical cost-benefit analysis.There is no one, simple way to decide on the best alternative technologies. During the course of various projects for the US DoD we have developed a suite of analytical tools that we use in assessing clean alternative technologies for corrosion and wear reduction. Technology Analysis locates the best alternative clean technologies; two new cost-benefit decision tools help us understand the most important costs and cost savings; a new Implementation Assessment approach helps us evaluate the full costs, Alternative Technologies for Corrosion Prevention benefits and risks of adopting new technologies, while determining the most cost-effective way of going about implementing them; while an interactive roadmapping tool shows the best route to success in complex weapons systems.This presentation will focus on the use of these various tools, with examples of some of the more interesting and surprising conclusions that have come out of our analyses of corrosion and wear alternatives.

Influence of WC–20Co–1Ni coating by HVOF on lifespan of the downhole drilling motors

“…HVOF spraying is one of the most promising technologies and suitable methods for the replacement of hard chromium plating for the production of thick and wear resistant coatings on parts of the downhole drilling motor using simple geometry. However, the only limitation of this method is the coating of the internal surfaces [19,20]. This method is suitable for a wide range of substrate material and a wide range of workpiece size [21].…”

Integration of Technology Management and Its Development: Interlevel Overlap and Technology Identification

“…Technology analysis and technology radar are TM activities which enable a company to constantly monitor determinants and conditions of technology applications, both inside and outside the company, and then to innovate technological processes or to update its technological system as a whole. Technology analysis should indicate possible technology solutions to fi nd the best fi t as overall replacement or replacement for a specifi c application (Legg, 2005). To some extent, technology analysis is also a macro discipline, because of a general need for wider cooperation of analysts with the environment for more comprehensive results.…”