A water corrosivity sensing system is currently under development that combines the strengths of rate measurement techniques such as linear polarization resistance with longer-term cumulative damage measurements typically provided by electrical resistance probes.  This sensor technology is applicable not only to water pipeline systems, but a broad range of liquid and gas piping systems used in military facilities as well as electric power, chemical, pulp and paper, and fossil fuel industries.

The corrosion sensing system utilizes the mechanical response of a sacrificial pressure diaphragm, which is very sensitive to diaphragm thickness, to assess cumulative material loss.   The deflection of the test diaphragm under intrinsic pipeline process pressure is compared to the response a reference diaphragm made of an inert material and of known thickness.   As with traditional pressure sensors, diaphragm deflection may be measured with any number of techniques.  To date, Luna has designed and field tested diaphragm corrosion sensors that operate using optical interferometric techniques as well as more traditional electrical foil strain gages, each of which has inherent advantages depending on the intended application.  In addition to laboratory data obtained under representative environmental conditions, this paper presents the real-world experience gained from the recent field prototype demonstration of Luna’s sensor technology in an Army potable water distribution system.

This material is based upon work supported by the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program and the Engineer Research and Development Center-Construction Engineering Research Laboratory under contract W9132T-06-C-0017.

Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Engineer Research and Development Center-Construction Engineering Research Laboratory.