Quantum Sensors for Micro-Corrosion Detection

• Published in: International Journal of Computational and Experimental Science and Engineering Vol. 11; no. 3
• Main Author: Kumar Enugala, Vinod
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 16.07.2025
• ISSN: 2149-9144; 2149-9144
• DOI: 10.22399/ijcesen.3481

Quantum magnetometry holds the potential for non-destructive monitoring of micro-corrosion. The proposed study combines narrow-field-of-view nitrogen-vacancy (NV) diamond imaging with cryogenic imaging scanning superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) and machine-learning analytics to benchmark the detection precision against classical methods. Two hundred eighty ASTM A36 steel coupons were subjected to 0-168 hours of neutral salt spray, and dual-mode sensors collected 12 TB of magnetic data, which was then denoised, dimensionally reduced, and classified by a convolutional neural network. Galvanic currents were resolved on the platform with a spatial resolution of 0.1 0.5 ( 1 ) and sensitivity to sub-nanotesla, rapid detection of 50 % of 5 (m) pits in 3.8 (h) relative to 22 (h) galvanic current using the electrochemical-impedance spectroscopies and ultrasonic shear-wave probes. The F1-score was 0.953, the Matthews correlation coefficient 0.91, and the ROC-AUC 0.987 in quantitative performance, even though the classes were so severely imbalanced. In 87% of the scans, morphological fidelity and inversion reliability were confirmed by two bespoke indicators: Magnetic Gradient Integrity (MGI) and Gradient-to-Noise Ratio (GNR). The Kaplan-Meier Kaplan-Meier and Bayesian hazard modeling showed that the early warning would accelerate by 6 times, and the estimated lifetime cost saving would be 24% of a typical offshore pipeline. The major weaknesses were caused by weld-spatter magnetization and a temperature-dependent NV contrast drift, which were improved using spatial-frequency masking and adaptive laser control. Plans involve fiber-coupled sub-millimeter-scale NV probes, high-temperature SQUID arrays, and edge-ASIC inference to provide certified, perpetual positioning quantum diagnostics for aviation, petrochemical, and maritime assets. Simultaneously, an open Magnetic Corrosion Image (MCI) data standard and FAIR repository will enable regulatory vetting and algorithm comparison. Long-term. Long-term field tests on flow lines offshore and aircraft fuselages in retirement will prove her ability, reliability, and overall cost-of-ownership estimates.