Avoidable MIC-Related Failures

Companies are generally cost conscious, and the expense of having a full-time corrosion engineer is typically considered cost-prohibitive. However, when corrosion-related matters arise, the company should consult with a competent corrosion engineer who can forewarn the client of potential problems. Nonetheless, corrosion is often not considered a potential problem and this lack of attention can contribute to severe equipment deterioration and failure. The following case histories reveal how problematic a lack of knowledge or understanding of corrosion can be. In each case the failure is attributable to microbiologically influenced corrosion. In total, there are six unique cases which illustrate the fact that a proper consideration of corrosion could have avoided or at least predicted the failures.