August 2011

In this issue I talked in my ‘Comment' about the fact that chemical engineering is rapidly becoming more closely linked with biotechnology worldwide. BIOTECHNICA, organized and staged by Deutsche Messe AG and taking place in Hanover, Germany, from the 11th to the 13th of October 2011, is Europe's leading annual event for biotechnology and the life sciences and hosts both an exhibition and a number of conferences. It covers the entire spectrum of biotechnology, including fundamentals and equipment, bio-informatics and services.

The five fields of application covered at the conferences and in the various exhibition halls at BIOTECHNICA are: Bioprocess Technology and Bio-Engineering (including bioreactors, bioreactor accessories, equipment development, GLP/GMP, bioreactor analysis, sterile techniques, downstream processing, ultrapure water systems, laboratory equipment, logistics, measuring and control technology); Bioinformatics; Bioanalytics; Biotech Services; and Biotech Applications (therapeutics, diagnostics, biomedicine, food, agriculture, industrial biotechnology, environment, marine biotechnology, transgenic animals).

Our cover story is about Weir Minerals Africa, a leader in the design, manufacture and delivery of slurry pumps. It is one of the foremost suppliers of customer-critical wear- and corrosion-resistant solutions engineered for mineral and specialist process application markets. The company supplies leading brands of cyclones, dewatering pumps, hoses, mill lining systems, rubber products, screens and valves for the mining and minerals processing, power and general industries, as well as high pressure grinding rolls in association with KHD.

The company combines its extensive range with a strong service and manufacturing presence throughout Africa with a customer-centric philosophy that promotes the development of unique technology. This then improves process and productivity efficiencies, assists in optimizing performance and enhancing the lifecycle of equipment, minimising downtime and offering the benefits of integrated maintenance and support.

One of our feature articles this month is entitled ‘Coatings used in conjunction with cathodic protection - shielding vs non-shielding pipeline coatings'. When using cathodic protection on coated pipelines, end users must consider the problems that exist if the coating disbonds (loses adhesion). Many in the pipeline industry assume cathodic protection will solve their external corrosion problems without truly understanding the relationship between the coating and cathodic protection.

Cathodic protection (CP) current is very effective when it actually has a path to the pipe metal. Most external corrosion on pipelines is caused by disbonded coatings that shield CP, not lack of CP. To adequately protect underground pipelines, a coating must conduct CP current when disbondment occurs. When disbondment or blistering occurs, most coating types divert current from its intended path, therefore, CP current can not adequately protect the external surfaces of a pipe. These are called "shielding" pipeline coatings. There are certain types of pipeline coatings that will allow the CP current to effectively protect the pipe if disbondment occurs and water penetrates between the coating and the pipe. These are called "non-shielding" pipeline coatings. This paper will discuss the differences in the two types of coating systems and how CP works with these coatings.

There are three other technical papers in the August issue and our usual interesting Special Report by Gavin Chait, this month focusing on the potential for offshore liquid natural gas.

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