Method Development for Systematic Analysis of Anaerobic Bacteria in Marine Water/Soil Sediment at Atlantic Offshore

A chemical process that causes decay in materials is known as Corrosion. The rate and degree of corrosion depend on the immediate environment affecting the materials. Offshore oil and gas industries are equipped with subsea pipelines, cables, vessels, etc. The presence of microbes in the production stream or the transport line may cause corrosion in the subsea assets and other marine equipment. Corrosion triggered by the presence of microbes is called microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC). In this project, the intern will develop and test analytical methodologies to assess the degree of microbial activity in different marine samples (water/soil sediment). This will help to assess the chances of MIC on an asset’s surface in a given environment.

qualiTEAS, is a corrosion inspection and management company based in St. John’s, Newfoundland. We have a proactive approach, unlike other service companies, where we investigate the mechanism of corrosion by identifying different environmental factors that are responsible for causing corrosion. Thus, through this project, developed analytical methodologies for microbial analysis can assist to understand the impact of microbial activity in the corrosion process. This will further complement company’s service scope for the corrosion inspection of subsea assets.

Faculty Supervisor:

Baiyu (Helen) Zhang

Student:

Partner:

qualiTEAS Inc

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

Memorial University of Newfoundland

Program: