Western States Corrosion Seminar
Fundamental Course

FUNDAMENTALS COURSE
The introductory corrosion fundamentals course is designed for the new comer in the field and those with less than 2 years of experience.

DAY 1

1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
FUNDAMENTALS OF ELECTRICITY AND CORROSION
The fundamentals of DC electricity and basic corrosion cells are discussed.

2:30 pm - 3:00 pm
BREAK IN EXHIBIT HALL WITH REFRESHMENTS

3:00 pm - 4:30 am
FUNDAMENTALS OF CATHODIC PROTECTION
What is cathodic protection and how does it relate to corrosion? The basics of the various types of cathodic protection systems in use today and design considerations for each type are discussed.

4:30 pm - 6:00 pm
SOCIAL HOUR WITH BAR AND APPETIZERS AT POOL

DAY 2

8:00 am - 9:30 am
CATHODIC PROTECTION DEMONSTRATION
A classroom demonstration using a water box will show the function of the components of sacrificial anode and impressed current cathodic protection systems. The demonstration will also show the damage caused by interference currents.

9:30 am - 10:00 am
BREAK IN EXHIBIT HALL WITH REFRESHMENTS

10:00 am - 11:30 am
USE AND MISUSE OF PERMANENT REFERENCE ELECTRODES
How and why permanent reference electrodes are used in the field. Monitoring of underground and underwater structures is simplified with proper use of copper sulfate, silver chloride, and zinc sulfate reference electrodes.

11:30 am - 1:00 pm
LUNCH FOR ALL

1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
BASIC CATHODIC PROTECTION INSTRUMENTS AND TESTING TECHNIQUES
This course describes common cathodic protection instrumentation and their function used by corrosion engineers to assess site conditions of buried steel structures.

2:30 pm - 3:00 pm
BREAK IN EXHIBIT HALL WITH REFRESHMENTS

3:00 pm - 4:30 pm
CATHODIC PROTECTION DESIGN FOR SACRIFICIAL AND IMPRESSED CURRENT GROUNDBEDS
Intended for fundamental level students to learn the procedures involved in the design of sacrificial and impressed current groundbed systems. The talk will introduce the fundamental steps used for design, such as soil resistivity and site selection.

4:30 pm - 6:00 pm
SOCIAL HOUR WITH BEER, WINE, AND APPETIZERS IN EXHIBIT HALL

DAY 3

8:00 am - 9:30 am
CATHODIC PROTECTION INTERFERENCE CAUSES AND CURES
Methods of recognizing and testing for cathodic protection interference along with measures for correction will be presented.

9:30 am - 10:00 am
BREAK WITH REFRESHMENTS

10:00 am - 11:30 am
FUNDAMENTALS OF PROTECTIVE COATINGS
A discussion and overview of protective coating systems and their relation and uses in corrosion control will be presented

11:30 am - 1:00 pm
OPEN FORUM AND LUNCH
An informal open forum session will be held during lunch. Students are encouraged to participate. Comments are solicited regarding the material covered in the seminar and this is an excellent opportunity for students to ask additional questions about material covered in the seminar and provide input that will help to shape future seminars. There will also be a drawing for door prizes donated by the WSCS committee, exhibitors, and sponsors.

1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
FUNDAMENTALS COURSE EXAM
A Fundamentals course examination will be given to those requesting it at the end of the seminar. Those students who pass the test will be awarded a certificate of successful completion of the fundamentals course. The test is an open book test. Test scores will be mailed to student and student's supervisor, if requested. The cost for this exam is $150 (testing and certificate) in addition to the normal registration fee.