Emerson and Aramco to collaborate on corrosion management solutions

Emerson has announced it will co-develop next-generation corrosion management solutions for Aramco

Corrosion management is a strategic priority for Aramco, tied directly to operational performance, safety and environmental responsibility. Continuous corrosion monitoring eliminates difficult, inefficient and dangerous manual corrosion measurements and provides a reliable digital data stream for improved decision making.

At the Middle East Metallurgy, Corrosion & Coatings (MECOC) Expo earlier this year, Aramco’s executive vice president of technical services, Wail A Al Jaafari said that Aramco has invested more than US$70mn in corrosion management technologies, achieving over US$770mn in cost savings and avoidance.

“AI-powered solutions are now anticipating corrosion before it happens, leveraging a cast network of IIOT sensors across our facilities and pipelines. These sensors provide more than 10mn corrosion-motoring readings annually across over 40 facilities,” he said.

Aramco’s Hybrid Statistical Corrosion Prediction Model, HySCorr, leverages 20 years’ worth of data, using machine learning and advanced flow and corrosion modelling to produce dynamic, predictive and more accurate monitoring of pipeline health, therefore protecting thousands of kilometres of pipelines.

As part of the corrosion research and development collaboration with Emerson, Aramco will combine its expertise and intellectual property with Emerson’s advanced corrosion solutions to digitalise and transform corrosion management. Emerson will provide its technology leadership in ultrasonic online corrosion monitoring technology; seamless wireless connectivity for corrosion wall thickness monitors, and real-time and continuous data collection to develop a fit-for-purpose corrosion management solution for Aramco processes.

“Emerson, with our complete technology stack, is uniquely positioned to co-innovate the next-generation corrosion monitoring solutions that are cost-effective, scalable and customised for Aramco,” said Ram Krishnan, chief operating officer for Emerson. “We look forward to working with Aramco to develop not only a corrosion solution for its vast operations, but one that will also be a valuable tool for many other industries.”