Monitoring of Corrosion Under Insulations by Acoustic Emission and Humidity Measurement

We simultaneously monitored humidity and AE from active corrosion under insulation (CUI). For humidity monitoring, we developed an optical fiber sensor based on the moisture dependency of absorption of laser light by connecting coating of polyvinyl alcohol and CoCl2 coating and pullulan coating in series on the fiber as a cladding layer. The sensor could be used to measure humidity of 65–95% RH at 80°C. The temperature dependence of the sensor was as small as 2.5% RH/10°C. We monitored active CUI by the acoustic emission technique and humidity sensing under wetting and drying cycles. Most AE signals were produced during the drying process in each wetting and drying cycle, and the AE rate increased with the time of wetness (period of humidification).