Pressure-based fluid corrosion/erosion protection apparatus and associated methods

An apparatus for protecting a vessel against chemical corrosion and/or mechanical erosion thereof caused be a pressurised fluid disposed therein is disclosed, wherein the apparatus comprises: a sacrificial member having a hollow, empty interior bounded by a chemically corrodable imperforate outer wall exteriorly exposable to pressurised fluid within the vessel, the outer wall being configured and constructed to corrode in use through to the interior of the sacrificial member in response to exposure of the outer wall to a predetermined combination of fluid exposure time and fluid chemical corrosivity within the vessel correlated to a predetermined amount of chemical corrosion and/or mechanical erosion by the fluid in the interior of the vessel, a hole created in use by chemical corrosion in any portion of the imperforate outer wall causing the pressurised fluid to enter the pressurised empty interior of the sacrificial member; and a monitoring system operative to receive fluid pressure from the interior of the sacrificial member and responsively generate an output signal of an unacceptable high chemical corrosivity level of fluid within the vessel, said monitoring system including a pressure diaphragm assembly having a housing interiorly divided into first and second chambers by a flexible diaphragm member, the first chamber communicating with the interior of said sacrificial member, and a movable actuating member extending through the interior of said second chamber and engaged by said diaphragm member, pressurized fluid entering the interior of said sacrificial member through the chemical corrosion-created hole pressurizing said first chamber in a manner moving said flexible diaphragm member to cause it to push said actuating member away from an initial position thereof.