Soil Laboratory

A unique facility dedicated to the study of soil corrosion and the assessment of protection systems for buried pipelines and structures

ParameterCapacity
Temperature4–90 °C
MediaNatural soils, synthetic soils, marine sediments, polluted/recycled soils
GasDissolved oxygen control (Air/N₂/CO₂)
Water contentCapillary soil cells with stable water content
Parametric studyChlorides, sulphates, water content, resistivity, cyclic humidity...

Available facilities

  • Exposure cells under constant or cyclic water content
  • Differential aeration corrosion assessment setup
  • Soil library (natural and synthetic soils)
  • On-site exposure in France and across the EU with remote monitoring
  • Cathodic disbondment cells in soil
  • Soil characterisation: resistivity (telluro­meter, soil box), pH, thermobalance, chlorides, sulphates, pH buffer
  • Custom ER corrosion sensors (all grades)
  • Real-time monitoring: corrosion potential, redox potential, water content, galvanic coupling, corrosion rate
  • Stabilised polarisation curves on a cathodic protection witness
  • Addition of potentially corrosive microorganisms and microbiological assessment (in partnership with Corrodys)
  • Finite element modelling (COMSOL Multiphysics): distribution of currents and potentials, interference phenomena and stray currents