Millbrook proving ground proves a success in corrosion testing

摘要

CORROSION TESTING is unusually being carried out with a Cubit steam-generating system, more normally associated with large-scale humidification, at the Millbrook proving ground. The UK's leading automotive test centre is now using the system to put vehicles through the rigours of hot humid environments to assess performance and durability. The cosmetic, functional, and perforation corrosion performance of each component and area of the vehicle is being assessed and paint system performance is also monitored in the high-temperature high humidity test chamber, in which the temperature is set at 49 deg C with 98 percent relative humidity. An oil-fired Cubit boiler is supplying the chamber with steam at 640kg/hr. Originally the chamber relied on a number of electrode humidification units, which were proving costly to run and maintain. Generating the high levels of steam required proved challenging, and being situated in a hard water area compounded the problems. "When the corrosion chamber was rebuilt, it was decided to replace to replace the existing steam system. The environment inside the chamber has to provide a steamy and very aggressive atmosphere. Standard steam boiler were considered, but with a need for both heat and steam, Cubit was more economical", says Cliff Robertson, manager of facilities and maintenance at Millbrook.