Patent ID: 7982474

Claim:
A method for online monitoring of corrosion of a pressure vessel, the method comprising: exposing a portion of a first electrode and a second electrode to a corrosive environment within a pressure vessel, wherein said first electrode and said second electrode are disposed in a wall of said pressure vessel and isolated from each other by an insulating material, said first and second electrodes being electrically coupled such that when an electrical potential difference exists between said first electrode and said second electrode an electrical current flows between said first electrode and said second electrode, the electrical potential difference between said first electrode and said second electrode being based at least in part on corrosion at said first electrode or said second electrode; measuring at least one of the electrical potential difference and the electrical current flowing between said first electrode and said second electrode; analyzing the at least one of the measured electrical potential difference and the measured electrical current to predict a corrosion characteristic of said pressure vessel; and determining when to perform a corrective action on said pressure vessel based on the predicted corrosion characteristic of said pressure vessel.