In the chemical industry, where operations involve handling hazardous materials under extreme conditions, the protection of plants and personnel is paramount. Two critical pillars in ensuring this protection are Corrosion Risk Management (CRM) and Process Safety Management (PSM). By integrating CRM with PSM, chemical companies can enhance predictive maintenance, extend asset life, reduce downtime, and most importantly, prevent accidents. This integrated approach not only strengthens plant safety and regulatory compliance but also supports sustainable and cost-efficient operations in the long term.

Leading industry experts discussed the latest scenario at the third session, 'Protecting Plants: Corrosion Risk Management & Process Safety’ at the maiden edition of Chem & Petchem Conference 2025 organized by the Indian Chemical News on May 07-10, 2025 at Baruch in Gujarat.

The session was moderated by Vijay Vasudeva, Senior Vice President-Operations, Epigral Limited who outlined the importance of corrosion risk management and process safety. 

Vijay Vasudeva, Senior Vice President-Operations, Epigral

“Whether it is home or the industry, painting is primarily associated with corrosion and latter in turn is associated with process safety. The painting and coating is associated with different corrosion mechanisms we have and thereby failures because of non-compliance leads to the process safety which is the need of the hour. We are based in an industry zone like Baruch where most of the industry players are handling one or many specialty chemicals which have ingredients that are corrosive in nature. Hence, corrosion is a huge challenge we are facing on a day to day basis.” 

Parag Shah, Site Head - Ankleshwar Plant, Deccan Fine Chemicals (India)

“There are various types of corrosion faced by the industry including uniform corrosion, specialised corrosion, galvanising corrosion etc. If we go into the details, most of the things are associated with operation and production and here corrosion is a huge challenge. Corrosion is linked to safety and when we start a new product, we have to go for the material selection and any mistake in selecting the wrong material leads to hazards. When we go for a new product, process safety is very important. If anything goes wrong, process safety is the first thing that has to be taken care of before material selection. While there are a lot of materials available including titanium but we have to also see the cost consideration and right paint. We do the coupon test to find the weight loss and thus decide if we have to use a mix of material. We have to look at the suitability and cost efficient solution. We can avoid the structure corrosion if we avoid steel material and in case we are choosing it, painting frequency must be maintained. Plants in Ankleshwar mostly face chemical corrosion but Dahej being near to sea coast has moisture as well which adds to the corrosion risk. Therefore, we have to paint the surfaces regularly to prevent the moisture and external corrosion. ” 

Hasmukh Patel, Associate Vice President – Technical Manufacturing (Dahej Plant), Crystal Crop Protection

“Whenever we begin the plant designing and the equipment design, we have to take care of the plant material composition and manufacturing material. There is a need for regular inspection and there should be no rework or defect in the manufacturing. In terms of selecting the material, we try to select high corrosion resistant material. Similarly, the equipment manufacturer also produces equipment that is made of high quality resistant material. The quality check has to be made by the equipment manufacturer in terms of the best welding quality and right technology. We select a manufacturer that uses the right fabricator and welding techniques besides the right technology to develop the equipment. Another technique we used to check is the salt spray test to find the right MOC of the equipment. After the manufacturing, there has to be routine cleaning, right paint and with right colour and also the good storage conditions to protect equipment from corrosion.” 

Urvesh Vala, Head of Material Engineering Technology, L&T Energy Hydrocarbon Engineering 

“The material selection is based on a few parameters such as temperature, pressure, concentration, and the effect of internal and external corrosion we think of.  In terms of corrosive gases, partial pressure plays an important role for designing the materials. It is not only the CRI as a material which we can select, there are many other materials that can be selected. We have sophisticated software which deals with process fluid and from that we derive the actual metallurgy which is very important. In any industry, carbon is the most popular material as it is easily available, cheap and weldable. It can be easily fabricated for any activity. Refinery corrosion is different from chemical corrosion as the chemical industry is facing more of a general corrosion or specialised corrosion. There is also biological corrosion because of stagnancy of fluid and the way water is stored there is grown in bio sites. There are 70 corrosive demo mechanisms and if you go through API, it gives deeper insights on this and if you want further detailed overview API580 is the standard that is recommended for learning various damages mechanisms. In terms of thickness calculation vis a vis weight consideration for material selection, if you choose the SA516 Grade 60 and SA516 Grade 70, you can play with the thickness. An expert metallurgist can provide a better perspective on it.” 

Dr. G. H. Thanki, Corrosion Management Expert 

“Corrosion is a natural process and it behaves as per nature. The chemical plants are susceptible to various types of corrosion, each with its own characteristics and detection methods. Among these are Uniform Corrosion, Localized Corrosion, Stress Corrosion Cracking, Erosion Corrosion and Intergranular Corrosion. Materials like stainless steels, nickel-based alloys, and titanium offer excellent resistance but can be more expensive than carbon steel, preferred more for economic reasons. The design and fabrication issues including complex geometrics, welding defects and formation of scales. Addressing these difficulties requires a comprehensive and proactive corrosion management strategy. That includes careful material selection, robust design practices, effective monitoring and inspection programs, optimised operational procedures, and continuous improvement efforts. Once the paint is applied, there is a need for frequent inspection and not wait for three years. There is a saying that a bad paint can go loyal if the surface is right. Hence, preparing the surface before painting is very important. Dahej is a corrosive area and it needs special attention as compared to chemical zones in Nagpur and Ahmedabad. When you are painting in an area near the sea coast, there is a need to be extra careful. Generally the surface is prepared by the non-corrosion engineer for a day and next day painting begins. We forget the basics and face the issues. As the CII Chandigarh Committee of Corrosion Management, we have developed a course on corrosion management.” 

Gujarat Chem & Petchem Conference 2025 witnessed massive attendance by leading industry experts and stakeholders across Gujarat and India. The 2-day event witnessed over 75 speakers discussing the latest trends of the chemical industry through panel discussions and presentations. 

The conference was supported by Academia partner - Somaiya Vidyavihar University; Platinum partners - PremierTech Systems & Automation, ABB India, and Netradyne; Gold partners - Tvarit GmbH (Germany), SNF Flopam India, Alleima India, AMETEK Land Instruments International, BEIL, UPL University of Sustainable Technology, Forbes Marshall, Utthunga Technology, Syinfotech, Servilink Systems, Graphite India, Thermax, Gem Machinery & Allied Industries and Thermax; Associate partners - Diyani Automation, Flaminia Ecarb India, LAPP India, Goodrich Gasket, and GD Waldner; Industry Association partners - Gujarat Chemical Association (GCA), Jhagadia Industries Association (JIA), Dahej Industries Association (DIA) and Alkali Manufacturers Association of India (AMAI).