I am still a student in my third year right now and currently I'm having my internship/practical at one of the oil and gas company. I have my exposure in CMP or known as corrosion management plan that related with corrosion studies during my practical at the company. Since next semester will be my final year and I would like to take these opportunity to do some research for my final year project. If possible I would like to do my final year project that relates with what I learned during my practical at the company. Anyone here know the relationship between corrosion studies with chemical engineering courses? so that it will helps me to do my research on this area/job scopes later (
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Chemical Engineering studies in National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), Greece, include the specialization of Materials Engineer, where corrosion studies must be an important part. I assume this specialization is needed in the market and can be applied to a wide spectrum of industries. It requires much empirical knowledge, as well as some specific concepts (e.g. corrosion electrochemical mechanism). As in all human activities, some may find it boring, some exciting (if they like it). Of course materials science is not limited to corrosion but is extended to non metals and their specifications. E.g. a classmate of mine (now pensioner) has made a career as materials specialist in Power Corporation, checking material specifications against required for the orders (not having relation with corrosion studies). A younger colleague had studies concentrating in cathodic protection (useful specialization, especially for long pipelines), but ended up with Project Engineering (market here is too small, in industrialized countries it may not be so).
In 1970s corrosion studies in NTUA were mainly experiments on corrosion rates in the laboratory of Physical Chemistry (metal plates on glass pots at regulated temperature), as I could understand from graduation works. Later research was also directed to the protection of marble against atmospheric SO2 (converting it into gypsum). The latter can be considered as corrosion only in a broad sense. It is assumed quite useful in all areas having pollution and marble monuments, ancient or modern (Athens,Milan, etc).
I got familiar with some stainless steels and their use only in the fertilizer plant of my first job. Now students may have a knowledge of them, but living experience seems necessary to "digest" the knowledge. Besides book guidance should be critically compared to experience, since industrial fluids of same name may have different impurities (so different behavior to corrosion).