NEWIRE- Novel Materials for Energy and Water Infrastructure Resilience

This project develops an integrated materials and corrosion science platform to strengthen the resilience and reliability of Qatar’s Energy and Water infrastructure operating under extreme desert–marine conditions. High temperatures, saline aerosols, humidity cycling, dust deposition, and aggressive industrial fluids accelerate degradation processes that threaten the integrity of pipelines, desalination systems, industrial facilities, and emerging low-carbon energy infrastructure. The project targets critical degradation mechanisms including atmospheric corrosion, corrosion under insulation (CUI), galvanic and chemical corrosion, microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC), chloride stress corrosion cracking (CSCC) of corrosion-resistant alloys, and hydrogen embrittlement in both conventional and additively manufactured alloys relevant to hydrogen and renewable energy systems. The research combines mechanistic experimentation, advanced materials characterization, electrochemical diagnostics, environmental and microbial exposure studies, and accelerated testing tailored to Qatar-relevant conditions. These efforts are complemented by AI-enabled and multi-scale modeling tools that link materials chemistry, environmental parameters, and operational conditions to corrosion risk and degradation pathways. This integration enables a transition from reactive corrosion management toward predictive, data-driven reliability engineering. The expected outcomes will support improved durability and materials selection for energy and hydrogen infrastructure, reduced corrosion risks in desalination and water networks, and longer asset lifetimes with reduced maintenance and chemical footprints. The project will deliver Qatar-specific corrosion datasets, predictive models, advanced coatings and inhibitors, validated testing methodologies, and materials selection guidelines tailored to extreme environments.

Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU)