The European Federation of Corrosion just wrapped up its annual conference, EuroCorr 2014, held from Sept. 8-12 in Pisa, Italy. Some important new innovations in corrosion prevention were presented that will have implications for corrosion engineers all over the world.

The aim of the conference is to show what is currently state-of-the art in the field of corrosion prevention. Only innovations that are practical in both technical and actual application aspects are included for presentation.

Past innovations are discussed, but the innovations of the future — the ones that are being developed right now (or have just been developed) — are the main focus of the discussions. Researchers and operators in corrosion prevention come together at the conference to exchange information and mutually benefit from it.

The theme of this year's conference this year was "Improving Materials Durability." Most of the presentations at the conference focused on innovations that improve corrosion science so that it can extend the life of materials and improve current engineering methods.

Belzona had a strong presence at the event and dominated the announcements, but other companies had interesting research as well. Here are a few of the announcements:

The Belzona 3411

Representatives from Belzona presented a discussion on the most recent innovation in flange corrosion management, known as the Belzona 3411.

The Belzona 3411 is an encapsulating membrane that is a hybrid polymer coating that can adhere to any shape on a flanged joint. This development keeps moisture out of the joint and prevents corrosion better than any other method currently available.

Even more impressive, the coating can be cut or peeled back when access to the joint's parts is needed, and can then be easily reapplied without having to put on a new coating. This allows for easier flange inspections, while ensuring the integrity of the flange.

BSI linings

BSI, a distributor for Belzona, has developed some new spray linings that are designed to withstand immersion at high temperatures. This prevents corrosion on things such as underground tanks.

According to BSI, these linings are the result of 20 years of research into the technology of linings and how they are applied. They provide better impact resistance and flexibility than previous linings, which make them ideal for containers that undergo temperature variations that may make them change in size and shape on a periodic basis.

The newest in spray technology

Belzona also presented its newest corrosion prevention sprays at this conference. Named Belzona 1331 and Belzona 1381, these sprays use standard epoxy materials mixed with new filler technology innovations. Used together in one spray, the new sprays will not damage the spraying equipment as other sprays have done in the past.

They also bring enhanced corrosion protection for ceramics and ceramic-filled epoxies. The superior edge retention of the sprays makes them suitable for many shapes of objects, and they show good promise in use on pipeline joints and girth welds.

Other announcements

While the main presentations were dominated by Belzona, there were plenty of interesting things to be seen in the exhibitor section.

For example, Gamry Instruments and Ivium Technologies were there demonstrating their latest offerings in cutting-edge corrosion detection equipment. The Cortec Corporation presented its new corrosion-prevention adhesives, fluids and coatings. Bio-Logic was also demonstrating a wide variety of corrosion detection products, including battery testers, electro-chemical testing kits, scanning software and materials testing kits.

These are just a few of the 29 exhibitors that were present at the conference offering insights and demonstrations into the latest in corrosion prevention and control.

Conclusion

EuroCorr 2014 introduced a number of new corrosion-prevention technologies to Europe. While Belzona had a monopoly on the biggest announcements of the conference, some smaller companies were able to present their innovations, too.

Some of these innovations are just now being used in the marketplace, while others haven't made it there yet, but soon will. It may take some time for these innovations to reach the United States and be approved for use, but there can be no doubt they are coming.

Sending company representatives to European companies that are already using these new innovations to get information and training is an excellent idea to get your company the jump on adopting these technological innovations when they make it to America.