Corrosion Chronicles

In this episode, Michael Krauss, sales director at Knight Material Technologies, joins co-hosts Heather Allain and Marc Cook to discuss bonded lining systems and the materials considerations that influence long-term performance. Michael explains the different types of fabric backings, adhesives, and their ideal applications, while outlining best practices for installing bonded sheets and verifying...

In this episode, failure analysis expert Tedd Anastas of Anastas Technical Services and Brent Moore of Moore Analytical join co-host Heather Allain and guest host Andrew Rentsch, Materials Engineer at Huntsman Corporation, for a practical discussion on scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and their role in failure analysis and materials investigations. The conv...

In this episode, Richard Clapp, retired principal consultant from DuPont, joins co-hosts Heather Allain and Marc Cook for a discussion on the role of materials expertise in process commercialization. Drawing on decades of industry experience, Richard outlines the three primary types of process commercialization and the institutional challenges companies often face when scaling new processes from t...

In this episode, the second installment of a two-part series, Bert Jennings, owner of Jennings Materials Consulting in Spring, Texas, rejoins co-hosts Heather Allain and Marc Cook to continue their discussion on hydrofluoric acid (HF) and anhydrous hydrogen fluoride (AHF) service. Building on Part 1, the conversation shifts to detection, materials, and real-world application. Bert outlines key NDE...

In this episode, the first installment of a two-part series, Bert Jennings, owner of Jennings Materials Consulting in Spring, Texas, joins co-hosts Heather Allain and Marc Cook for a technical discussion on hydrofluoric acid (HF) and anhydrous hydrogen fluoride (AHF) service. Bert begins by outlining where HF is commonly used and addressing common industry tropes and misconceptions about how the f...

In this episode, Robert Freed, Ph. D., FASM, Associate Director at the Materials Technology Institute, joins co-hosts Heather Allain and Marc Cook for a practical, materials-focused discussion on corrosion and wear. Robert helps clarify the differences between abrasion, adhesive wear, erosion, and cavitation, and explains how these damage mechanisms commonly show up in industrial equipment such as...

In this episode, Evan Lowrance, Corporate NDT Engineer at Webco Industries, and Jonathan Konerza, Tubing Division Manager at Sentinel Integrity Solutions, join co-hosts Heather Allain and Marc Cook for an in-depth look at eddy current testing (ECT) of heat exchanger tubes. Together, they break down how ECT works, the differences between internal and external testing, and how factors like magnetism...

In this episode, Danny Mock, managing partner for M10 Process Equipment, Inc., joins co-hosts Heather Allain and Marc Cook to take listeners inside the world of column internals and the fundamentals that drive mass-transfer performance. Danny breaks down what mass-transfer equipment is and how internals efficiency is evaluated, offering practical insight into design considerations that influence r...

In this episode, Mukesh Ahlavadi, Global Director of the Chemicals Market at NobelClad, joins co-hosts Heather Allain and Marc Cook to explore the world of metal cladding and its critical role in modern engineering applications. Together, they provide an overview of hot roll bonding versus explosion cladding, examining the key drivers behind each process and why industries turn to cladding for enh...

In this episode, Kevin Ganschow, materials & corrosion consultant at Mechanical Materials Engineering, LLC, joins co-hosts Heather Allain and Marc Cook to unpack the intricacies of gasketed joints. The discussion begins with a foundational look at flange assemblies as systems before diving into key factors such as gasket stress, bolt reuse, and lubrication. Kevin highlights best practices for...

In this episode, Jennifer Larimore and Avery Boyer, Materials Engineers at Chemours, join co-hosts Heather Allain and Marc Cook to share an inside look at how a materials lab works. Jennifer and Avery walk through the step-by-step process of analyzing samples—from sectioning, cleaning, reviewing documentation and photographing through the final wrap up of documenting and communicating findings to...

In this episode, Cathleen Shargay, Advisor of Materials and Welding Engineering at Becht, joins co-hosts Heather Allain and Marc Cook to explore the complexities of materials selection during project execution. The conversation covers a wide range of essential topics, from understanding what materials selection diagrams (MSDs) are and how they interface with process engineering, to evaluating life...

In this episode, Nate Sutton, materials engineer at Equity Engineering, joins co-hosts Heather Allain and Marc Cook for a deep dive into high-temperature hydrogen attack (HTHA) and the evolving guidance used to evaluate and mitigate its risks. Nate shares his firsthand insights on the origins and evolution of Nelson curves, the role of post-weld heat treatment, and the recent development of time-d...

In this episode, Ana Benz, Chief Engineer at IRISNDT, joins co-hosts Heather Allain and Marc Cook for a deep dive into selecting non-destructive examination (NDE) techniques based on expected damage mechanisms. Ana shares insights on recent advancements in radiography, field-based hardness testing, and imaging of hardness indents to assess effectiveness. The conversation also explores proper surfa...

In this episode, Murray Pearson, Director, HPM Technology Development, Metals at Hatch, joins hosts Heather Allain and Marc Cook to delve into the intricacies of abrasion, erosion, and erosion corrosion. They explore the impact of these phenomena on various equipment types, the materials responsible for these damages, and effective strategies for equipment protection. Topics include impingement ef...

In this episode, Ben Sprengard, managing director of innovation at Enerfab, sits down with co-hosts Heather Allain and Marc Cook to discuss fabrication considerations for duplex stainless steels. They explore key topics, including property comparisons to austenitic stainless steels, forming, machining, welding, phase transformation during cooling, welding QC, solution annealing, QC for duplex fabr...

In this episode, Steven Clarke joins co-hosts Heather Allain and Marc Cook to dive into the world of mining and mineral processing. They break down the differences between hydrometallurgy and pyrometallurgy, explore various leaching methods, and discuss solvent extraction and electrowinning. The conversation highlights how water and ore contaminants impact material compatibility, the challenges of...

In this episode, Gary Whittaker, retired Engineering Fellow from Eastman Chemical and MTI Fellow, sits down with co-hosts Heather Allain and Marc Cook to recount some past failures he was involved in failure analysis on. They chat about: an API storage tank that leaked and contaminated a nearby river, some Nickel-Chrome-Moly alloy piping with stress cracking found due to indications on an associat...

In this episode, Arun Sreeranganathan, principal at Stress Engineering Services, sits down with co-hosts Heather Allain and Marc Cook to discuss creep in the context of chemical facilities. They chat about: the definition of creep, homologous temperature, creep in plastics, contrasting creep with SRC, How the ASME code handles the subject, creep curves, sources for creep info, how creep data is de...

In this episode, Ben McCurry, Senior Expert of Materials Engineering and Inspection at BASF Corporation, joins co-hosts Heather Allain and Marc Cook to dive into the world of corrosion testing. They cover a wide range of topics, including the purpose of corrosion testing, lab testing versus in-situ methods, and the use of corrosion resistance tables. The discussion explores valuable insights from...

In this episode, Jan-willem Rensman, Fellow at Fluor and subject matter expert in Metallurgy and Welding, joins co-hosts Heather Allain and Marc Cook for an in-depth discussion on stress relaxation cracking (SRC). Together, they cover topics including: defining SRC and understanding where and when it occurs, the differences between SRC and creep, managing residual stresses in welds, and offering d...

In this episode, Dale McIntyre, a designated professional with the Materials Technology Institute, joins co-hosts Heather Allain and Marc Cook to dive into the topic of anodic stress corrosion cracking, with a specific focus on chloride stress corrosion cracking (CSCC). They explore key SCC degradation mechanisms and discuss crucial factors in assessing CSCC risks. The conversation covers a range...

In this episode, Steve Springer, a materials engineer at Chemours Engineering, joins co-hosts Heather Allain and Marc Cook to discuss the critical role of flexible hoses in chemical facilities. They cover a range of topics, including a tragic incident that resulted in a fatality, the importance of having a robust hose program, and key considerations in hose design and construction. The conversatio...

In our season 2 premier, Ed Naylor, Senior Materials Engineering Associate at Nouryon, sits down with co-hosts Heather Allain and Marc Cook to discuss storm damage in the context of chemical facilities. They explore how to identify site-specific vulnerabilities, the unique hazards hurricanes pose, and essential preparation steps before storm season. The discussion also covers the role of hazard re...

In our season 1 finale, host Heather Allain flips the script by interviewing her co-host, Marc Cook, for an in-depth discussion on tantalum. They explore the various alloys of tantalum, its market dynamics, pricing trends, and the types of equipment where tantalum is used. Tune in to learn about hydrogen embrittlement, fabrication basics, inspection and testing methods, and repair techniques.    C...