BathyCorrometer® – Original and Still the Best
The need for practical on-site underwater corrosion potential measurements has existed for well over fifty years and the development of off shore oil facilities – extreme high-capital value structures which required significant lifetimes and which could only be subject to inspection and repair in situ – drove the growth in the commercial diving operations and the introduction of the BathyCorrometer®.
The initial version of the instrument was designed and developed by Corrosion and Welding Engineers Ltd in the mid-1960s. The instrument comprised an analogue meter in a robust polyacetal housing. Whilst the provenance of the modern instrument is obvious; the original was rather larger – and perhaps – a little less ergonomic in design. A variant of this with a remote probe connected by wire was also available.
During the 1970s, CWE became Roxby Engineering; a specialist supplier of onshore and off shore corrosion protection systems, transformers, electrodes and instrumentation. The instrument went through a series of iterations, leading to the MkIV which was the first to use a transfl ective LCD display with a beta backlight. These instruments were made for Roxby by Buckleys from 1977.
In 1986, a US team carried out a BathyCorrometer® corrosion study of the wrecks of the USS Arizona and USS Utah, located in Pearl Harbour, Honolulu. The study is available online via the US National Parks Service: www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/usar/scrs/scrs4i.htm
Roxby exited the market in the late-1990s and Buckleys acquired the intellectual property rights and continued to produce the instrument under the original BathyCorrometer® name.
We have not stopped innovating; The MkV version was launched in 1998 with a single PCB and LED display and this instrument was the effective global standard in underwater corrosion measurement for over 15 years.
It was eventually superseded in 2016 by the MkVI which is now sold as the BathyCorrometer® Pro’.
This instrument incorporates an updated backlit LCD display, revised battery installation and other technical improvements within the time-proven, robust and reliable polyacetal housing, ensuring it remains the go-to industry standard for years to come.
In parallel, we have developed a range of Underwater Corrosion Probes which are available in contact, proximity and combined form for use on ROVs. The probes feature the same reference cell technology as we have proven over five decades and the same meticulous attention to detail in design and manufacture. We also provide a range of attachments; allowing the probe to be fixed semi-permanently to the vehicle or carried in the remote handling grip.
Buckleys also offer umbilicals for the BathyCorrometer® with an accompanying Surface Display Unit, a range of calibration electrodes, zinc and magnesium reference coupons, reference cells and other accessories necessary to support dive teams taking measurements on major structures around the world.
