Equipment manufacturers for mission critical infrastructure typically specify the conditions in which their systems may be operated. That specification is usually stated as G1 — Mild, as defined by the ANSI/ISA 71.04 standard.

The sensor monitors both silver and copper corrosion and computes the severity over a rolling 30 day period.

Source — International Society of Automation (ISA) — 71.04-2013

The probe material is what a corrosion sensor ultimately measures with, so it determines both accuracy and service life.

• Silver (Ag) probe: Sterling Silver at 999 purity, against the plated silver at 965 purity used by competing sensors.


• Solid, not laminated: the silver is incorporated into a solid band rather than applied as a surface layer, which is what allows the full depth to be consumed.


• Copper (Cu) probe: laminated copper at 950+ purity.


• 50% longer lifespan than standard alternatives, with a service life of 6000 Å, reducing replacement cost over the life of the installation.

Corrosion shortens the life span of critical equipment. That life span is expressed as MTBF, or Mean Time Between Failures.

Moderate corrosion can reduce it by up to 25%. In severe corrosive environments that rises beyond 75%. Uptime in mission critical facilities is therefore directly affected by the corrosion level.

A reduced MTBF carries both an operational and a capital exposure.

• OPEX: corrosion causes systems to fail, and business continuity is impacted when they do.


• CAPEX: equipment manufacturers will typically void warranty where the damage was caused by corrosion — turning a covered failure into a full replacement cost.

Documenting the environment continuously is what allows a warranty position to be defended, and what turns an unplanned failure into a planned intervention.

Electronic circuits use copper. Prior to RoHS, the exposed copper in electronics was soldered with lead, which protected it against corrosion. With the introduction of RoHS lead could no longer be used, and that protection is gone.

With equipment protection weakened, four main contributors drive corrosion:

• Temperature
• Humidity
• Air particles
• Corrosive gases

Monitoring for each of those risks with the appropriate sensors is what allows a corrosion risk mitigation strategy to be put in place.

Corrosion is the degradation of materials through a chemical reaction with their environment. It is a significant issue in data centers, substations, electrical panels, switchgear and other mission critical infrastructure for three reasons:

• Safety: corrosion can compromise the structural integrity of equipment, potentially leading to failure and posing a hazard to personnel.


• Reliability: corroded equipment malfunctions or fails, producing downtime.


• Cost: repairing or replacing corroded equipment is expensive, and corrosion also reduces efficiency, driving energy consumption up.

The main benefit of real-time atmospheric corrosion monitoring is early detection, before the problem becomes a major one. Continuous measurement alerts maintenance staff as soon as corrosion is developing, allowing corrective action before significant damage is done.

Left to progress, corrosion weakens structural components and causes equipment to fail, leading to costly repairs and lost productivity. Detecting it early extends the life of equipment and reduces the risk of expensive failures — which is what makes it an important tool for maintaining the safety and reliability of data centers, substations, electrical panels and switchgear.