NACE International is a technical society committed to developing corrosion prevention and control standards. Established in 1943 by eleven corrosion engineers in the pipeline industry, NACE was originally known as the National Association of Corrosion Engineers. These founding members were involved in a regional cathodic protection (CP) group, which formed in the 1930s, when the study of CP was introduced. Built upon decades of knowledge and expertise from dedicated members around the world, NACE is now involved in every industry and area of corrosion prevention and control, from chemical processing and water systems, to transportation and infrastructure protection. NACE also serves as the forum for public policy makers to learn about corrosion prevention and its role in extending the life of infrastructure.

Executive Director of NACE International Bob Chalker says “Corrosion science has evolved to become its own legitimate engineering discipline with globally-implemented advanced technologies to manage corrosion.”

NACE’s membership includes scientists, engineers and technicians from a range of organisations, including infrastructure operators and suppliers of maintenance and life-extending technologies. The association aims to raise awareness of the need to invest in corrosion control personnel at all levels and strongly supports career development in this area.

Mr Chalker adds “NACE is not a trade association representing one group. It is an educational group connecting researchers, scientists, engineers, field technicians, and even industrial painters to establish standards and best practices for maintaining the infrastructure that preserves quality of life and keeps the economy competitive.

“NACE members are dedicated to improving and maintaining infrastructure, extending its useful life, to keep the public and the environment safe from corrosion-related failures, and to protect the economy from the impact of failed assets.

“In a world in which corrosion continually challenges and threatens our industrial infrastructure, NACE and its members establish standards for technologies that control the effects of corrosion, which is the common denominator in all aging infrastructure issues,” he says.

Mr Chalker also says that members frequently collaborate via educational courses, conferences and programmes to discuss the most efficient ways to ensure the safe and efficient transport of oil, gas and water, and the longevity of pipelines, bridges and other assets that corrode over time.

Addressing the issue of corrosion

Mr Chalker explains that the cornerstone of pipeline integrity is proper maintenance, including condition assessment, by knowledgeable professionals.

“The main issue facing the integrity and maintenance of pipelines continues to be corrosion prevention,” he says.

Not only is pipeline corrosion prevention important for the safety of the individuals and businesses surrounding pipelines, but extending the life of existing pipelines has a significant environmental impact as environmentally-disruptive reconstruction or replacement projects can be avoided.

“This is the sweet spot for NACE and its members: the development and deployment of cutting-edge technologies that extend the useful life of the world’s industrial infrastructure,” according to Mr Chalker.

“With changing and aging infrastructure, more attention needs to be paid to corrosion expertise than ever before. NACE and its members regularly communicate with public policy makers and the corrosion industry to improve upon the maintenance standards that are already in place and to build pipelines that keep the flow of oil and natural gas steady while keeping citizens safe.”

The association also has a key focus on education. NACE has a global network of training and certification providers that have been dedicated to training corrosion personnel for more than 50 years.

“Today, high-quality training and certification for corrosion professionals are much more accessible. A new four-year corrosion engineering degree from the University of Akron in Ohio, USA, demonstrates the importance of corrosion as a stand-alone educational discipline. NACE expects that the future will hold more of these four-year degrees and that the association will continue to grow,” says Mr Chalker.

In the future, NACE hopes that organisations will continue to be increasingly proactive in their maintenance activities to reduce the likelihood of corrosion and adopt a new perspective that considers the consequences of corrosion and prioritises maintenance activities on a risk basis.

Mr Chalker concludes “It is through these forward thinking practices that a higher standard of safety and maintenance will be developed throughout the pipeline industry.”