TUESDAY, JULY 13, 2021
International manufacturer of industrial protective coatings and composites, Belzona (Harrogate, North Yorkshire) recently reported via emailed press release that its repair and protection systems had been successfully utilized to save money.
According to the report, a series of polymeric repair and protection systems (including epoxy mortars and stainless-steel protective coatings) were deployed over several years on a steel fabricator’s gas pipeline in Scunthorpe, United Kingdom.
Corrosion Background, Coatings Work
Back in 2016, after 45 years of service, Steelworks’ gas main was noted to be exhibiting severe pitting and corrosion damage where a waterline between liquid and gas had formed. Previously, the company had replaced sections of the pipeline, paying 8,000 pounds (about $11,100) per meter. When replacing the 90-meter-long section, Steelworks reportedly paid 720,000 pounds.
To bypass the costly fees this time around, Steelworks looked to Belzona for an alternative solution.
At the time, Independent Consultant,
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Belzona |
International manufacturer of industrial protective coatings and composites, Belzona (Harrogate, North Yorkshire) has recently reported via emailed press release that its repair and protection systems had been successfully utilized to save millions of pounds. |
“In previous years, contractors were only able to replace small amounts of pipeline
Following a site inspection, Belzona specified a series of systems for the rehabilitation project, including Belzona 1151 (Smoothing Metal), Belzona 4151 (Magma-Quartz Resin), Belzona 4154 (Bulkfill Resin) and Belzona 5811 (Immersion Grade). According to the company, the utilization of the coatings when compared to replacement efforts, saved Steelworks approximately 16 million pounds.
In addition, the coatings were reported to have been applied without the use of hot work, further ensuring that downtime was kept to a minimum and allowed Steelworks to accumulate additional savings by investing in the composite repair materials and industrial coatings.
For the coatings application, the pipeline areas were cleaned, grit-blasted and had 150 mm by 150 mm plates bonded over any holed areas using the 1151 coating material. In areas where the pipeline was experiencing heavy pitting, Belzona filled the areas with 4151 or 4154 combined with a kiln-dried sand.
Following these corrective measures, the company applied two coats of 5811 at double the thickness to the substrate, providing a total thickness of 1,000 μm. As a final step, Belzona applied a final coat of 5811, a stainless-steel protective coating.
On the completed project, Keen said, “By using the polymer systems, this enabled the Client to protect much larger sections of the pipeline than was previously possible. Usually, this amounted to 350m each year.
“However, in 2018 they protected a phenomenal 750m stretch of the pipeline in just nine days. In fact, this application won the Contractor a National Award for the speed in which the repair was carried out, as well as the huge savings it allowed the client to make.”
In total, the coating materials were applied at Steelworks from 2016-20, totaling 1,300 meters of repairs. According to the press release, Steelworks has an additional 730 meters of repairs planned for this year and in 2022, saving the company millions of pounds over the course of its rehabilitation efforts.
Tagged categories: Belzona; Coating Application; Coating Materials; Corrosion; Corrosion protection; Pipelines; Program/Project Management; Protective coatings; Rehabilitation/Repair