Patent Application
20090314068
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This invention relates to an apparatus that is used to support test coupons that are used to monitor the effects of degradation on various materials in an industrial site. The invention shows the method and the apparatus for consistent and long-term data collection through the use of coupons to assist in the monitoring and adjusting chemistry to reduce degradation of materials in a facility.
The invention described here pertains to a rack that is easily integrated into a facility allowing for monitoring the degradation of materials in the environment and better allow industry to address the issues of degradation on materials and equipment. The basis for method of use is that the current invention allows for the consistent placement of the corrosion coupons at the same level and location to allow for the accurate measuring of corrosive elements in the environment.
Numerous methods have been developed over the years to provide a measure of the degradation of materials in industrial applications. Direct methods for assessing degradation of materials can be classified into two categories that include intrusive and non-intrusive techniques. One intrusive technique is the use of test specimens exposed to the environment of interest. Coupons, or representative samples of materials such as metals or plastics, are one of the most typical test specimens used for evaluating degradation. Coupons are one of the oldest and simplest devices for monitoring degradation, and many standards have been developed for specific applications.
Coupons are fabricated in many forms, depending on the application of interest, and the types include rectangular, disk, cylindrical, and u-bend. Best practices for coupon exposure require the use of a test rack, which generally consists of a support structure that attaches the rack to a component in the system and fasteners that hold the coupons to the support. The purpose of the rack is to reproducibly suspend the coupons in the environment at the location of interest and with a proper orientation. A number of requirements need to be met by a suitable rack, including: sufficient sturdiness to support the coupon specimens, resistant construction materials to the environment, suitable exposure of the coupons to the process environment, electrical isolation of the metal coupons from one another and the rack (to prevent galvanic interaction), and prevention of interaction of degradation products from one coupon to another. Common coupon racks that have been used for industrial applications include the flat bar rack, the spool rack, the insert rack for pipelines, and “slip-in” or retractable holders. The current invention is inventive in that it contains a square support beam, which allows for orthogonal mounting of coupons.
The current invention was developed for mounting corrosion coupons in atmospheric environments. Standard atmospheric corrosion tests using coupons generally use flat panel coupons. The most widely used panel specimens for atmospheric corrosion testing are 4 inches by 6 inches (˜100 mm by 150 mm) in size. In most atmospheric degradation corrosion, numerous panels are secured using insulating knobs on a large, sturdy frame. However, many industrial applications do not have the available space to install a large frame structure in the environment of interest. The relatively small size of the current invention allows for suspension of numerous corrosion coupons in an environment where available space is an issue. The design of the rack also allows for easy installation to typical equipment in use in industrial settings.
The current invention describes the following key aspects:
The current invention relates to a apparatus for placement of coupons for the testing of an environment on materials using one or more test coupons at a single or varying orientation comprising a bracket attachment member 4, a connection member 5, a bracket adjustment member 6, a bracket stabilizer 7, one or more coupon attachment member(s) 1, and a coupon attachment site 12. The current invention allows for many different bracket attachment members 4 but the preferred is u-bar. Coupon attachment member 10 contains one or more coupon attachment sites 11. The current invention connects the coupon attachment member 10 to the bracket attachment member 4 with the connection member 5. The connection member 5 of the current invention is adjustable allowing for the movement of the apparatus to fit multiple locations. The apparatus further has a coupon attachment member 10 has one or more coupon attachment sites 11.
The current invention has a preferred embodiment wherein the coupon attachment member 10 is square allowing for the placement of the coupons in an orthogonal pattern.
The invention further includes a method for sampling effects of degradation on materials in a manufacturing facility where in the apparatus is placed in a facility with one or more coupons attached to the coupon attachment sites 11, the coupons are allowed to react with the environment and facilitate collecting samples for a predetermined period then replaced with new coupons. The invention is used with coupons that are meant to measure degradation elements from vaporous exposure. The method further allows for the use of multiple testing coupons attached to the coupon attachment member 10.
The testing coupons are placed on the coupon attachment member 10 at different levels and angles allowing for the complete testing of the environment. Once the set period of time for testing is complete the coupons are removed and replace with new ones in the same location allowing for long term testing. The method uses a coupon attachment member 11 is a square bar allowing for the placement of multiple coupons in an orthogonal pattern.
It should be understood that various changes and modifications to the presently preferred embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and without diminishing its intended advantages. It is therefore intended that such changes and modifications be covered by the appended claims.
