Thu, 28 September, 2023
NSIRC student Rukhshinda Wasif has Passed her Doctoral Defense and earned a PhD for her Industrial Research on Corrosion Monitoring
Cambridge, UK - Rukhshinda Wasif has earned her PhD with London South Bank University for her pioneering research on the reliability-based design of a magnetic sensor for corrosion monitoring of oil and gas pipelines. Her research, sponsored by Lloyd's Register Foundation and conducted at the National Structural Integrity Research Centre (NSIRC), focused on developing a low-power, low-cost sensor that can differentiate between internal and external corrosion and can be used over insulation.
Corrosion is a serious issue in the oil and gas industry, with undetected corrosion leading to catastrophic failures that can result in economic, environmental, and human losses. In 2016, the global cost of corrosion was estimated to be US $2.5 trillion by NACE International.
Rukhshinda's PhD research presents the magnetic eddy current (MEC) method, which requires less magnetisation level in the test material and can be used remotely over insulation. The final developed sensor is less intrusive than electrical resistance probes, requires no couplants for installation like ultrasonic thickness gauges, and can detect both internal and external corrosion.
Supervised by TWI Technology Experts Ryan Marks and John Rudlin, with academic supervision provided by Professor Mohammad Osman Tokhi at London South Bank University, Rukhshinda's research involved finite element modelling and experimental investigations on the capability of the sensor to detect and quantify corrosion in mild carbon steel pipelines or other steel structures.
Rukhshinda, a civil engineer, previously obtained an MSc in Structural Integrity from Brunel University London and has worked on non-destructive testing and maintenance of buildings and roads in Pakistan. She is now a Project Manager at Innerspec Technologies.
The development of a low-power, low-cost sensor for corrosion monitoring has the potential to save industries billions of dollars in maintenance and repairs while also preventing environmental and human losses. Rukhshinda's research is a significant step forward in the fight against corrosion and its associated costs.
To learn more about the research conducted by students at NSIRC and the industrial PhD programme, visit the 'Our Research' page.