Argonne, Socalgas To Study Control Of Bacterial Pipe Corrosion

Business Wire, Dec 6, 1994

ARGONNE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 6, 1994--A joint research project that could help the environment while saving millions of dollars in corrosion- and bacteria-control costs for the chemical, gas, oil, nuclear and water industries was announced today by the Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) and the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory.

The three-year, $1.7 million project will examine new detection methods and more environmentally benign treatments that fight corrosion from bacteria colonies that often create leaks in pipes carrying gas, water or chemicals.

In 1993, North American companies spent $1.2 billion in water treatment chemicals alone to fight corrosion and fouling.

In the small percentage of pipeline systems where water collects, bacteria can act as environmental catalysts to stimulate corrosion, said Argonne scientist James Frank. Colonies that include several kinds of bacteria can form deposits on metal surfaces, build slime layers and produce organic acids that cause pitting and accelerate corrosion.

This kind of localized corrosion is difficult to detect, Frank said. ``Chemicals have been largely successful controlling it, but the project's goals are to reduce chemical use by industry and find better ways to detect developing corrosion.''

``Argonne and SoCalGas will examine different carbon and low-alloy steels to see if metallurgical characteristics influence the ability of bacteria to attach to the metals, and if it affects any long-term corrosion,'' said Robert Skultety of SoCalGas. ``We would also like to look surface treatments that could help make metals more resistant.''

Field studies will be carried out at a new test facility SoCalGas has built at it underground gas storage field in Montebello, Calif., and at other sites provided by cooperating companies. Argonne corrosion scientists will carry out laboratory studies to support these field efforts.

The SoCalGas-Argonne project is a ``cooperative research and development agreement'' (CRADA). CRADAs are designed to foster cooperative research between industry and government labs by offering industry streamlined government approval, protection of joint data, and advantageous rights to patents and other intellectual property from the joint research.

SoCalGas will provide $845,000 in materials and effort, and the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Research/Laboratory Technology Transfer Program will provide $840,000 in materials and effort through Argonne.

SoCalGas is the nation's largest natural gas distribution company, serving nearly 16 million people through 4.7 million meters. It maintains 45,530 miles of distribution and transmission pipelines. With more than 200 different research programs in basic and applied science, Argonne is one of the nation's largest federally funded scientific laboratories. Argonne is operated by the University of Chicago as part of the U.S. Department of Energy's national laboratory system.

CONTACT: Argonne, Argonne

              Dave Baurac 708/252-5584
              Dick Friend, Los Angeles, 213/244-3030