Newcastle Branch Technical Evening – Electrolysis Corrosion caused by Stray Current

On October 16, the Newcastle Branch of the ACA came together for a technical evening, featuring guest speaker Jim Hickey from Ausgrid. Jim’s talk was electrifying, providing us with a deep understanding of the potential issues of stray current corrosion. His research and development with the NSW Electrolysis Committee regarding improved standards and assessment criteria were very down to earth. It was a real current affair, and the talk gathered even more traction as Jim showed us his detective skills in identifying some literal hot spots that highlighted just how severe stray currents from electrified rails can be. Jim’s passion, enthusiasm and expertise were clear, and I think we can all agree that we can sleep better knowing that Jim is on the case to protect us against the corrosive evil of stray currents interfering with the critical utilities infrastructure like water, gas, telecommunications and electricity that keep our society running.