It is well known that corrosion poses widespread problems in everyday life and maintenance of many different structures and plants, but the actual, huge impact of the costs of corrosion in the economy of an industrial plant and even in the G.D.P. of an industrialized nation is far to be commonly understood.
In period from 1999 to 2001, a renowned study conducted on 26 different industrial sectors by the Federal Highway Administration of the United States (FHWA) concluded that the direct costs of corrosion in U.S. industry and infrastructure equals the dreadful amount of 3.6% of the entire GDP. If indirect costs are included (society costs), the amount reaches the 6% of the G.D.P.
Same conclusions can be drawn for every industrialized country, and things are much worse if one consider the costs of corrosion for a single Industrial sector like Oil & gas and power generation.
Corrosion has also a severe impact on the environment that can not be neglected.
This is why when dealing with Industrial plants, a sound and accurate corrosion control strategy is not a cost for the owner, but a worthwhile investment.
Facts:
- Direct and indirect costs of corrosion for an industrialized country rise up to the 6% of the GDP;
- 60% of all maintenance costs for North Sea production platforms are related to corrosion;
- The North America gas pipeline industry spends 80 million $ each year for coating new pipelines and recoating existing pipelines;
- 5 metric tons of steel are corroded worldwide every second;
- 40% off all produced steel is used to replace corroded structures;
- At least 30% of all these costs could be saved with an efficient corrosion management;
