Offshore wind turbines are one of the most powerful and sustainable sources of green energy today, playing a key role in combating climate change. On the Belgian coast, there are several wind turbines built in 2009, designed to last for about 20-25 years. Because of the application of cathodic corrosion protection, these turbines are considered low risk from the point of view of uniform corrosion. However, pitting corrosion presents a potential risk, which has remained understudied.

Pitting corrosion can create small, localized holes in metal surfaces, which can serve as crack initiation sites, and potentially a (significant) reduction of the (fatigue) lifetime of the structures. Right now, the turbines are visually inspected for damage, requiring removal of corrosion products and marine life, which is both time-consuming and prone to errors. But what if we could detect pitting corrosion earlier, more effectively, and with less effort?

In this project, you’ll explore electrochemical measurement techniques, which are widely used in the lab but rarely implemented in real-world applications like offshore turbines. Your goal will be to employ machine learning and other data-tools to correlate lab-scale data, enabling the detection of pitting corrosion before it becomes a problem.

Offshore wind turbines use cathodic protection to combat corrosion, and we’re taking it one step further. A second goal of the work will be to analyse the data from this protection system (time series of current consumption and protection potentials),. We’ll discover ways to identify abnormalities and prevent corrosion.

Why is this project in our Metals Team perfect for you?
• Hands-on Experience: Work with existing real-world data and contribute to groundbreaking research by creating your own experimental data.
• Innovative Technologies: Using machine learning to predict and prevent corrosion in real applications.
• Tackling a Real-World Challenge: Your work will directly contribute to the future of sustainable energy and the protection of valuable infrastructure.
This project gives you the opportunity to work on the cutting edge of renewable energy technology, while providing valuable skills and experience that will make a difference in the world of corrosion engineering.

Curious about our work in corrosion engineering? Check out this page on our website: https://www.sirris.be/nl/zoeken?search=corrosion+engineering