A new CD-ROM video from Parker Instrumentation highlights the problem of corrosion in offshore installations. Titled “A Warning from History”, the five-minute video is essential viewing for instrumentation engineers and anyone involved in the specification, purchasing, and maintenance of small-bore tubing and fittings. Produced by Parker’s corrosion specialists, it was prompted by a recent example of sudden fittings failure on a North Sea oil platform, and provides a clear summary of the key issues as well as suggesting simple tactical measures for prevention. According to the UK’s Health & Safety Executive, of more than 300 offshore incidents reported in the North Sea every year, over a third are attributable to instrumentation and small bore pipework systems – and yet many instrumentation-tubing users still don’t realise that standard small-bore fittings are actually opening up a path for corrosion. The insidious threat of corrosion in these systems is all the more worrying, since – as the video shows – it often strikes in more sheltered environments such as wellhead control panels, rather than in areas directly exposed to the elements. The villain of the piece is the all too commonly-used technique of nitride hardening, which hardens the gripping ferrule, at the expense of opening up an avenue for corrosion by reducing the metal’s resistance. Dramatic slow-motion footage shows what happens when a corroded ferrule finally gives way under pressure.
