MIC :: essays research papers fc

MIC   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Products and machines made of steel have long been considered to be solid, strong, and very durable. The effects of general corrosion, â€Å"rust†, were considered to be the only factor limiting a steel product’s ability to last forever. It is thought that the general corrosion of steel is recognizable and its effects are easily limited by the application of various coatings and paints. Only in more recent years have the destructive effects of Microbiological Influenced Corrosion, â€Å"MIC† been discovered. Today MIC, whether it is on the bottom of a barge, in a water pipe, or in a nuclear power plant’s cooling tower, has evolved into a billion dollar problem. To cure this problem, I have created a device that cleans MIC out of the bilges of barges operated on the Mississippi River system. The bilges or confined void spaces have never been able to be cleaned due to the extremely tight or inaccessible area in which you would have to work. I found that most barges have a coating on the steel which provides a food source that the MIC bacteria absorbs (eats) and the bacteria’s resulting acid actually can penetrate the steel barge. Businesses that clean these barges to rid them of the MIC and the organic coating can charge as much as $10,000 to do just the ends of the barges, which is an area less than a tenth of the entire barge. The inner bottom void spaces which take up the remainder of the barge’s area are only 15† high, 27† wide, and 28’ long. Some barges have as many as 90 of these confined spaces, and none of them have been cleaned because their limited size makes them inaccessible. With the completion of my product it will be the first time the inner bottom void spaces of a barge can be cleaned. This will mean the MIC and its food source, the organic coating; will be completely removed from the barge for the first time since its original construction at the ship yard. For many years, MIC was incorrectly identified as the corrosive effects of saltwater on steel in ocean going vessels. Although salt certainly does have a corrosive effect on steel, it was not until more recent years that the term MIC was originated, and its effects are only starting to be discovered. MIC is responsible for the accelerated corrosion in ocean going ships, water storage tanks, fire protection sprinkler systems, commercial and military aircraft, and most recently discovered affecting the inland river barge fleet.