Sniffing out rust in critical industrial areas (Sensors and Instrumentation Engineering)

Corrosion is an issue faced by many industries, with very high costs in terms of repairs. The climate of the UK, combining a wet climate, the use of salt on the roads and temperate weather, accelerates the formation of rust. This causes significant issues to industries including the nuclear, oil and gas and process industries, where there is a need for remote detection with robust sensors to detect hidden rust under paint and insulation. Thus, there is a real-world need for a portable corrosion detection system that can act as a rapid corrosion diagnostic technique for industrial use.

Anecdotally, humans have always associated rust with a "metallic" odour. In fact, rust is odourless, but the rust itself behaves as a catalyst to break down organic matter located on its surface, which results in this odour. Though this has been known for many years, there is no real understanding of the odours involved. We aim to develop a sensor that can "sniff" this rust signature by identifying these "rust markers". This will lead to the development of sensors and instruments that can be trained to detect these markers emitted into the surrounding air. This system will then be tested in various industrial settings, where painted and insulated surfaces are available for inspection.