New Product Announcement: Insulative Coating System
Sherwin-Williams Protective and Marine has announced the release of its new Heat-Flex 7000 thermal insulative coating system for protection, insulation and solar heat reflectivity for several industrial applications.
According to the company’s release, Heat-Flex 7000 is a single-component, spray-applied coating system that has met Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards for protection from skin-contact burns at temperatures up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit in one coat.
Sherwin states that a coat of Heat-Flex 7000 can remove the costs of installing, inspecting and repairing conventional insulation and cladding systems for personnel skin-contact protection, also potentially reducing the threat of corrosion under insulation.
Additionally, the coating can potentially reduce thermal losses on assets that need to keep warm and diminish solar heat accumulation on assets that need to be cool.
Sherwin states that Heat-Flex 7000 to be directly applied to hot substrates and is spray-applied in a single coat—usually 50-75 mils dry film thickness—over a required corrosion-resistant primer.
The coating system also reportedly contains new technology to produce a thick, fully cured coating film with a high volume that can resist the transfer of heat from the underlying substrate to the surface, as well as from the surface to the substrate.
“Heat-Flex 7000 represents a step-change in our insulative coatings technology. Because of its new chemistry and formulation, a single topcoat of Heat-Flex 7000 can protect personnel from skin-contact burns on process assets operating at up to 350 F,” said Neil Wilds, Global Product Director, CUI/Testing for Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine.
“A single topcoat of this new product also provides a significant level of insulating value that can help to prevent process heat losses or, conversely, to protect against solar radiant heat gain, which can otherwise cause vaporization losses in storage tanks. Other coating products often require multiple coats to provide similar personnel protection and insulating value.”
The release states that though Heat-Flex 7000 does not provide as much R-value as conventional insulation in dry conditions, it can form a "closed-cell film" to resist moisture penetration from rain, water sprays and humidity.
Sherwin adds that because of this the product’s thermal efficiency can stay consistent, even in wet conditions. By contrast, any cracks or seams in insulation/cladding systems can admit and hold water, which could displace insulating air and reduce the insulation system’s R-value.
According to Sherwin, moisture may become trapped at the insulation/substrate interface, raising the risk of the formation and proliferation of CUI.
Sherwin adds that Heat-Flex 7000 has the potential to eliminate the risk of CUI altogether since is no physical cladding system applied on top of the coating. Additionally, the company says that water should not be able to leak down to the asset substrate and remain there.
Coated assets are also reportedly easier to inspect and repair, as insulation/cladding systems need regular removal for inspections or specialized ultrasonic/radiography testing for CUI.
According to Sherwin, the Heat-Flex 7000 coating system only needs a visual inspection for damage to the coating surface. Repairs reportedly only involve application of the coating over any damaged areas.
Heat-Flex 7000 can reportedly help protect heat-sensitive assets like tanks, fuel pipelines, water cooling lines and other assets from solar heat gain.
To protect these specific assets, Sherwin recommends a reflective white formulation to insulate the asset and to allow it to maintain a lower internal operating temperature. Lower operating temperatures can help cut back on the loss of fuels or cooling water in tanks and pipes from vaporization, while also lowering the need for expensive vapor-recovery or cooling equipment.
Sherwin states that the coating system can be used in indoor or outdoor environments to protect personnel and insulate assets and processes involved in oil and gas production and refining, mining, power generation, chemical processing, offshore and marine operations.
In September, Sherwin announced its new line of Heat-Flex corrosion under insulation-mitigation coatings. According to the company at the time, the new line was developed with a functional chemical enhancement for CUI mitigation, including three coatings with micaceous iron oxide pigment.
