Towards a Sustainable Future: The Role of Corrosion Control in Green Transition Technologies (08/11/24)
Speaker and Affliation:
Dr. Kapil Kumar Gupta
Tenure Track Researcher, Section of Materials and Surface Engineering (MTU), Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering,Technical University of Denmark
When?
8th November, 2024 (Friday), 4.00 PM (India Standard Time)
Where
KPA Auditorium, Dept. of Materials Engineering, IISc, Bangalore
Abstract:
Corrosion research is essential for advancing sustainable technologies and overcoming challenges in the green energy sector. One critical area is carbon capture and storage (CCS), which, despite its importance for climate mitigation, faces significant corrosion challenges in pipelines and storage systems due to impurity interactions and the formation of corroding species. The presence of impurities in the CO2 stream (such as H2O, H2S, SOx, NOx, etc.) can considerably lower the solubility of water resulting in water dropout with lower pH values and further increase corrosivity. Traditional methods for predicting and studying corrosion have been an area of focus, however, they often fall short in addressing the complex, multifaceted nature of corrosion processes under varying environmental conditions. This gap underscores the necessity for a more advanced, efficient, and predictive analytics approaches. By leveraging predictive analytics techniques, this research aims to predict corrosion rates in CCS applications, taking into account the diverse and dynamic nature of impurities present in CO2 streams. Understanding these mechanisms and developing predictive AI models are essential for ensuring long-term safety and operational feasibility.
Additionally, corrosion in energy production, conversion, and distribution poses significant sustainability challenges. High-voltage electronic components, such as those in wind turbines, solar power systems, and electric vehicles, are particularly affected. As the industry shifts towards higher voltage applications and miniaturized designs, the risk of corrosion-induced failures increases due to higher electric fields and leakage currents, especially in humid conditions. This can lead to dendrite formation and device failure. Similarly, corrosion of accessory components in alkaline electrolyzers, not only affects the safety and reliability of the electrolyzer systems but also impact the hydrogen production efficiency, due to the implications of metallic ion deposition from accessory materials. Understanding the mechanisms and addressing all these issues through better material selection, protective measures, and predictive models are emphasized as critical to maintaining the integrity of green technologies.