Corrosion fatigue of carbon/low alloy steel pipelines and risers in corrosive (high CO₂ and/or H₂S, wet) service takes time to develop, during which period, corrosion products (scale) will likely form on the surface. These corrosion products will affect the interaction of the environment with the surface, and are likely to affect the initiation of corrosion fatigue cracks. Corrosion fatigue endurance tests are commonly carried out over a spread of stress ranges which allow a plot of stress range: life (an S-N plot) to be produced.

Owing to time constraints, most of the data points on these curves are generated at a relatively high stress range, and therefore may be completed before any significant surface scaling has had time to take place. It is important to understand the effect of corrosion products on the initiation and development of corrosion fatigue cracks in typical oil & gas environments, so that test data can be applied with confidence. In addition, if it is shown that the effect is significant, it would be advantageous to have a technique available for accelerated development of the relevant corrosion scale/s, which could be applied to at least some specimens prior to application of cyclic loading.

The end goal of this project is to understand the significance of surface scaling on corrosion fatigue crack initiation and development, and to indicate how testing protocols may be developed to best simulate oil & gas environments.

This project will be carried out as part of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Embedded Intelligence and is co-sponsored by National Structural Integrity Research Centre (NSIRC).

This Centre, in collaboration with NSIRC, offers an attractive package, including a tax free stipend of up to £17k pa (equivalent £24k tax free), in addition to full University PhD registration fees for British and EU candidates. Due to UKBA Visa regulations applications from overseas students cannot be accepted for this position. Additionally, there is a generous personal development budget of £10,000for the specific training needs of the successful candidate.

The Centre offers a unique 4-year Ph.D. programme, drawing on expertise in postgraduate teaching and research supervision in the fields of sensors, system design, embedded software and systems, manufacturing systems, novel manufacturing processing, applications engineering and systems services. The PhD candidate will be supported by the state-of-the-art facilities at NSIRC andLoughborough University.

A high calibre candidate with first or upper second class (2:1) degree in mechanical, Electrical/Electronics or Civil/Structural Engineering, Material Science, Metallurgy or Physics. Candidates with suitable work experience and strong capacity in numerical modelling and experimental skills are particularly welcome to apply.

Further information can be obtained from Dr Donna Palmer, e-mail: cdt-ei<στο>lboro.ac.uk

For more information about The National Structural Integrity Research Centre, visit www.nsirc.co.uk

Please direct general enquiries to: enquiries<στο>nsirc.co.uk

The deadline for applications is 30^th April 2015.

Please quote Ref No.: 2015CDTEI_NSIRC8 on your application. Apply here