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Expert Details

Materials Science, Particularly Corrosion: Microbial Corrosion, Materials Selection, Biodegradation

ID: 724690 Australia

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Biodegradation mainly refers to enhanced degradation and deterioration of non-metallic materials such as concrete and polymers to distinguish it from microbial corrosion of metals. Under certain circumstances, there are groups of micro-organisms that are capable of attacking these materials and deteriorate them. Treating such cases needs a deep knowledge of corrosion (deterioration), materials science and microbiology. He has been dealing with this type of corrosion during his professional activities.

Biological corrosion or microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) or microbial corrosion refers to a type of corrosion which is mainly electrochemical and is affected by certain micro-organisms, such as but not limited to, bacteria.

Not all bacteria increase the rate of corrosion and not all one hears about MIC is true. It takes a serious analysis of the corrosion case before calling it microbial corrosion. This is the main area of his expertise. He is the author of some books on this matter.

There are mainly three ways to mitigate microbial corrosion: physical (such using PIGs), chemical (such using biocides) and biological.

Buoys are basically exposed to marine corrosion conditions and very vulnerable to microbial corrosion, among other kinds of corrosion. Most of the time, a good coating combined with a sacrificial anode approach can protect these structures for a long time. He has been involved in designing a cathodic protection system for some buoys himself.

Chemical plants are vulnerable to a wide range of corrosion processes. Therefore, one must be aware of the severity of corrosion in these plants and the ways to mitigate. Each plant has its own history and background of corrosion that must be noted when defining the corrosion problem(s) and related mitigation methods. He has been dealing with corrosion problems in this industry for some years.

The main types of corrosion that are expected in chemical plants are microbial corrosion, high temperature corrosion, pitting, crevice corrosion, stress corrosion cracking, coating failure and so on. It is indeed a very important task to define the corrosion kind and the part of the plant in which corrosion is happening correctly so that a suitable corrosion management plan can be defined.

Corrosion management is not only a technical issue. In fact, more than being technical, it is a "managerial" and "cultural' issue that calls for well-planned management of corroisonmitigation and prevention. In a chemical plant, there are various types of corrosion that have to be treated. A managerial approach, called "Corrosion Knowledge Management", invented and developed by myself, can help form a managerial approach to solve such problems.

A very important step in dealing with corrosion is how to prevent it. In this respect, "corrosion prevention" differs from "corrosion mitigation" as the former requires planning well ahead whereas the latter deals with corrosion when it has become a problem. Therefore, to prevent corrosion one must not only look at the technicality of the issue but also the managerial-cultural elements attached to it. Corrosion knowledge management, invented and developed by myself, is a way that can be helpful for designing managerial approaches in addition to technical measures known as "corrosion management".

Use of corrosion resistant materials (including metals) is one way to both prevent and mitigate corrosion. For example, under certain circumstances, the use of grade 304 of stainless steels is not recommended. Therefore, based on the working conditions of each system, a wise material selection must be done. In doing so, not only technical compatibility but also economy of the choice must be highly regarded.

Desalination Units are very crucial in the sense of their duties ("creating" drinking water) and the types of problems they can have. A range of corrosion problems from microbial corrosion to stress corrosion cracking and galvanic corrosion can be expected in these Units. For each type, a certain corrosion management approach must be designed and applied. He has been in a major project regarding corrosion of desalination units for water industry.

Seawater is a biochemical "soup" that allows for both microbial and non-microbial types of corrosion to happen. The types of corrosion that can be expected in this environment are, but not limited to, microbial corrosion, chloride enhanced stress corrosion cracking, splash zone corrosion, chloride enhanced pitting corrosion, and so on. All of these types of corrosion need to be treated with a certain corrosion management approach to minimize the impact of corrosion. He is currently involved in many projects with the same topic.

Due to the geometry of pipelines and their functions, they are vulnerable to a range of external and internal corrosion problems. A few of expecting corrosion problems in pipelines are, but not limited to, microbial corrosion, electrochemical corrosion, coating disbondment, lining problems etc.

There are a range of corrosion problems in power generating units. These problems range from, but not limited to, high temperature corrosion, microbial corrosion, chemical corrosion, stress corrosion cracking corrosion, cavitation and many more. These corrosion problems do need to be addressed through a corrosion management approach aiming at both prevention and mitigation of corrosion. he has a very good experience about the corrosion problems in power plants.

As water becomes motionless in storage tanks, it may create an excellent environment for microbial corrosion to happen. Other types of corrosion such as stress corrosion cracking can also be expected. If the tank is used for the storage of materials other then water, the types of corrosion to be expected can become even worse. Based on each single case, the corrosion scenarios must be carefully scrutinized and implemented.

The combination of a corrosive environment with tensile stresses and a vulnerable material can create a type of corrosion known as "stress corrosion cracking" or SCC. This type of corrosion can be expected in a wide range of environments and applications ranging from marine industry to pipeline industry and aviation industry.

Waste water is like seawater in the sense that a wide range of corrosion reactions can be expected in these environments. A well known type of corrosion observed in these environments is the microbial degradation of sewage systems. Treatment of corrosion in wastewater systems is a very delicate procedure that needs full attention and hands-on expertise especially when it comes to biodegradation processes.

By welding, specially thermal welding, the microstructure of the material is changed vastly. If post-weld treatment is not applied, welds and especially heat affected zone (HAZ) will become the main weak points when it comes to corrosion, and especially microbial corrosion. He has been technically involved with this matter for some years.

He is recently consulting many clients from different industries on the issues of microbial corrosion.

Education

Year Degree Subject Institution
Year: 2005 Degree: PhD Subject: Corrosion Engineering Institution: Monash University
Year: 1993 Degree: M.Sc. Subject: Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering Institution: Middle East Technical University
Year: 1990 Degree: B.Sc. Subject: Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering Institution: Middle East Technical University

Work History

Years Employer Title Department
Years: 2007 to 2010 Employer: Qatar University Title: Adjunct Professor Department: Petroleum Engineering
Responsibilities:
Involved in a number of consulting problem-shooting, for Qatari oil and gas projects such as:
 Materials selection and problem shooting plans for some local power plants and desalination units,
 Lead Investigator and author of Root cause analysis of a welded part of the desalination unit at RASGAS refinery
 Failure analysis of failed flange in Qatar Petroleum refinery
 Failure Analysis of a Broken Shaft of an Air Blower in a water Treatment Plant, RASGAS Refinery
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 2005 to 2008 Employer: Extrin Consultants Title: Senior Engineer Department:
Responsibilities:
 Working for clients such as but not limited to Verve Energy, Western Power, Woodside, Apache Energy Ltd., Mobil Oil Australia Pty Ltd., Ravesnthrope Mine(WA). Kalgoorlie Nickel Smelter, Lihir Management Company (PNG). LXML (Laos), Newcrest Mining Ltd, Worsley Alumina, Tiwest JV, Lycopodium Pty Ltd, Telfer Mine,... with regards to identification of high risk areas/equipment
 Preparation of reports for the clients regarding the problem-shooting and high safety
 Liaise effectively and efficiently between Client, Contractor(s) and suppliers as required, so as to ensure adequate communication to fulfill all areas of interests.
 Attendance into details of safe work conditions
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 1994 to 2001 Employer: Industrial Development and Renovation Organisation of Iran (IDRO-IR) Title: Engineer Department:
Responsibilities:
Responsible for feasibility study of industrial and technical proposals and plans with a (min.)volume of investment of US$20m in Iranian heavy and power generation industry. Developing managerial strategies in applying corrosion management in Iranian industry
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 1992 to 1994 Employer: Electric Power Research Centre Title: Engineer Department:
Responsibilities:
 Project manager of "biological reasons for biodegradation of cooling towers in some Iranian power plants" For The Ministry of Power
 Responsible for conducting research in the Iranian Power generation industry about corrosion problems and propose trouble shooting strategies in dealing with such problems. Managing the project of identification of microbial corrosion in cooling towers and systems of some Iranian power plants.
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 1989 to 1989 Employer: Title: Trainee Department:
Responsibilities:
Getting familiar with oil production facilities

Career Accomplishments

Associations / Societies
NACE, ACA, Institute of Corrosion, Secretary and Member of the Board of Iranian Corrosion Association, Permanent Member of National Committee of Energy of I.R. Iran, Permanent Member of Biotechnology Association of I.R. Iran, Permanent Member of Iranian Metallurgical Engineers Association
Awards / Recognition
David Whithby Best Review Paper, ACA.
Publications and Patents Summary
Expert has published plenty of peer reviewed papers. He is the author of the book "Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion-An Engineering Insight" . He has authored/co-authored more than 6 books all of which are being referenced by industry and academia around the world.

Additional Experience

Expert Witness Experience
Expert has worked as expert witness for projects related to corrosion issues. Observing the required privacy, some of these projects were related to root cause analysis of a ship that had caught fire and the case was unsolved for some 10+ years. Another case was related to a debate between a power plant and a neighboring mine site that due to wrong water treatment (to treat microbial corrosion-MIC) at upstream mine site, stainless equipment in the downstream power plant had all badly deteriorated. Expert was also involved in yet another legal debate that due to wrong/ inadequate hydrotesting, a steel pipeline had developed several leakages before commissioning. Expert was also referred to by other national and international authorities to give my expert idea about corrosion-related, integrity-management defects that may have caused/ may have had the potential for causing economic, ecologic and life loss.
Training / Seminars
Expert has more than 4,000 hours experience in designing and successfully running corrosion and MIC workshops for various industries around the globe.
He is an ASME certified (technical) trainer. He is also officially the only trainer of microbial corrosion recognized by American SPE (Society of Petroleum Engineers).

Language Skills

Language Proficiency
English Fluent
Farsi Fluent
Turkish Fluent

Fields of Expertise

biodegradation, microbiologically-induced corrosion, biological corrosion, buoy, chemical plant, chemical plant corrosion, chemical plant management, corrosion prevention, corrosion-resistant material, corrosion-resistant metal, materials selection, desalination corrosion, marine corrosion, pipeline corrosion, stainless steel pipe, power generating system corrosion, steam generation equipment corrosion, storage tank corrosion, stress corrosion, wastewater treatment corrosion, weld corrosion, atmospheric dynamics, corrosion monitoring, carbon dioxide corrosion, corrosion coupon, NACE International, downhole corrosion, metal replacement material, corrosion rate, underfilm corrosion, corrosion cost, corrosion removal, corrosion test equipment, noncorrosive, corrosion allowance, copper pipe corrosion, Electric Power Research Institute, severe environment, medical device corrosion, ASM International, corrosive chemical compound, aircraft corrosion, metal coating corrosion, penetrating lubricant, hydraulic system corrosion, lubricant corrosion, sulfuric acid corrosion, base metal (chemistry), corroding material life length analysis, chloride corrosion, electrical connector corrosion, organic coating defect, rust protection, rust prevention, cavitation erosion control, corrosion test facility, cement corrosion, gasoline corrosion, salt-fog testing, scale inhibitor, atmospheric galvanic corrosion, corrosion-control chemical compound, nuclear reactor corrosion, nuclear power generation-related corrosion, anti-corrosive coating failure analysis, food industry heater corrosion, automobile corrosion, paper mill corrosion, pulp mill corrosion, salt-atmosphere test, corrosion by-product, scale (metallic oxide), chemical-resistant coating material, surface coating corrosion, corrosion chemistry, corrosion testing, boiling-water nuclear reactor, corrosion failure analysis, aircraft maintenance, corrosion-related fluid handling equipment failure, corrosion-resistant castings, corrosion-resistant alloy, food industry troubleshooting, food industry quality control, borehole, oxidation reaction, chemical production, boiling-water reactor corrosion, aqueous corrosion, biocompatibility, high-temperature corrosion, corrosion measurement, deionized-water corrosion, degradation, erosion-corrosion, concrete corrosion, alloy corrosion, specific material corrosion, crevice corrosion, alkali corrosion, corrosion, corrosion resistance, aircraft component, chloride compound, corrosion protection, corrosion control, accelerated testing, uniform corrosion, underwater corrosion, rusting, pitting, passivity, localized corrosion, geothermal corrosion, gasoline, fretting corrosion, metal embrittlement, electrochemical corrosion, corrosion inhibitor, cement, cavitation erosion, carbon dioxide, atmospheric corrosion, aircraft, acidic corrosion

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