Localized Corrosion Control and Management for Durable Renewable Energy Infrastructure

Abstract A huge network of renewable energy infrastructure such as offshore wind farms is currently being built for the emerging renewable energy age, often at remote locations and exposed to complex environments. The durability of these infrastructure assets is often dependent upon localized corrosion because local corrosion damages are likely the sites of local stress concentration and crack initiation. Currently these infrastructures are designed only for approximately 20-25 years of life, which is unsustainable not only from lifecycle assessment point of view, but also for generating significant materials wastage that is often difficult to recycle at remote offshore locations. Therefore, the control of localized corrosion is a prerequisite condition for significantly extending the safe operational life of major renewable energy infrastructure. This paper presents an overview of localized corrosion issues affecting the durability of energy infrastructure and potential approaches to addressing them. It is noted that the detection and monitoring of localized forms of corrosion are essential for preventing premature failure of engineering structures. Future corrosion management will need to incorporate localized corrosion monitoring, predictive modelling, data analytics and artificial intelligence, to enable data driven closed-loop smart corrosion control such as closed-loop cathodic protection.