Last month we had the honour of hosting our international partners, at our Global Corrocoat Conference, at our Head Office, in Leeds. Following the last global conference, which took place 5 years ago (unfortunately prolonged as a result of the global pandemic), it was great to reunite with a number of partners, and also representatives from new operations from our global network.
We welcomed partners from 18 of our overseas operations, over 3 days, sharing case studies, project overviews, showcasing live demonstrations in our engineering and coating workshops and much more, amongst socialising and networking.
The majority of attendees were able to join us the weekend before the conference, with a welcome drinks and reception the first evening, followed by exploring the many acres of land, on a scenic walk at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, the next day. The group then unwound with a tour and beverages at the Black Sheep Brewery.
The Corrocoat Global Conference commenced on Monday, 18th September with a welcome from our CEO, Charles Watkinson. Charles recounted his earlier days when he first started the company in 1974, and insightful stories from some of Corrocoat’s first ever clients and projects, and the first Corrocoat overseas operation, in the Netherlands (Corrocoat Benelux). Almost 50 years down the line, Charles spoke of his pride on what Corrocoat has now become and the passion and dedication of the entire Corrocoat Team, both nationally and internationally.
The delegates were taken on a site tour of the engineering and coating workshops, at our Leeds Head Office, gaining insight in to the projects which were currently being completed on-site. Managing Director, Graham Greenwood -Sole, then presented on the new markets and areas of industry which are fast emerging. Sharing his knowledge and expertise, Graham spoke about energy from waste, carbon capture and hydrogen production and the ways in which our services can protect and pro-long the life of capital plant and equipment.
The session was followed by Sergio Teixeira, Corroserve Sales Engineer, who imparted more information on the energy from waste sector. Sergio showcased a number of projects which we have completed here in the UK; repairing and protecting baghouse filters; cells and hoppers, Ducting, Stacks, Waterboxes, fan blades, vessels and much more.
Partners from our overseas operations in the Czech Republic, USA, Korea, Israel, South Africa, India, Qatar, Japan and China presented on everything from pump refurbishment and efficiency engineering to concrete repair, projects in Biomass plants and Power Stations, to repairing process equipment, protecting Flue Gas Desulphurisation systems (FGD), pipe refurbishment, work on isolation joints and overboard scrubbers.
The Head Office team also shared top tips on Sales and Marketing, and carried out a number of practical demonstrations including the application of Fibrecoat; using the small-bore pipe spryer to apply the coating and also highlight Fibrecoat as a high-performance structural lining for the repair of severely corrosion damaged pipes, the Plasmet ZF aerosol and alternative surface preparation methods.
Graham said; “It was a very insightful few days and a celebration of the incredible work Corrocoat carries out across the globe. The Conference pays true testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone who is part of the Corrocoat family, and it’s great to come together with our partners and celebrate this. This, along with our exceptional product, is the very heart of what Corrocoat is all about.
I’d like to take this opportunity to say a HUGE thank you to all who attended and presented, and made the conference extremely memorable and insightful. We’re already looking forward to the next Corrocoat Global Conference in 3 years.”
Long-Term Protection Against Chemical Attack & Erosion
In chemical manufacturing processes, Agitated Nutsche Filters (ANF) are essential equipment for the separation and filtration of solid and liquid components. However, the corrosive nature of the chemical process liquids can pose a challenge to the ANFs, leading to degradation and equipment failure.
A renowned chemical manufacturing company in Maharashtra, India, approached Kirloskar Corrocoat Private Ltd, our partners in India, to provide long term protection against chemical attack and erosion for two ANFs. Each one measured 3m in diameter by 2.25m, and included accompanying components; the vessels, agitators, mesh plates and bottoms.
Due to the size of the ANFs, the project was completed on-site, with the team first dismantling them. The internals were grit blasted to ISO 8501 cleanliness standard Sa2½ and Polyglass PPV was then applied as a holding primer, with a top coat of Polyglass VE. Polyglass VE is perfect for immersion environments where superior resistance to chemical attack is required – this was critical for the longevity of the ANFs, in their corrosive service environment.
The team reassembled the ANFs and they are now fully operational.
Contact a member of our team to find out more on how we can provide long term protection against chemical attack and erosion, for your equipment and machinery.
Our partners in the Czech Republic, Corrotech, recently completed a project at a Power Generation Plant, repairing and protecting the internals of a chemical storage tank.
The 960m² tank (12.5m diameter x 15m height), stored limestone slurry. The previously applied coating was extremely porous and had been poorly applied, which resulted in pitting on the carbon steel substrate. The client turned to Corrotech to provide a coating which would offer long term corrosion protection.
Undergoing the project in Winter, temperature regulating and dehumihttps://www.corrocoat.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Corrosion-chemical-storage-tank-internal.pngdifying equipment was required for blasting, and throughout all of the coating application. The team spent 72 days completing the work carrying out the following:
The client was extremely satisfied with the end results and the way in which the project was undertaken, as well as being very impressed with the full turnkey solution which was provided.
Find out more about the work we carry out in the Power Industry here.
Our partners at Corrocoat Benelux, recently worked on a project to repair a secondary settling tank, which was suffering from severe corrosion. The tank, which had its last inspection over 10 years ago, had been in service at a petrochemical plant, and was in much need of repair, having been subjected to waste sludge.
Following an on-site inspection, during an outage, it was discovered that the 2 outer shells, which were 2.4 metres high, with a diameter spanning 4.5 metres, were severely corroded.
Before transportation to the Corrocoat workshop, the skirt of the tank was dismantled by the Corrocoat team, to allow for easier transportation and repair. Upon arrival, the shells were abrasive blasted, before Corroglass 632 was applied to prime the substrate. Fibre glass matting was then applied to the damaged areas, ahead of 2 layers of Polyglass VEF.
The client was extremely impressed with the finished result, and the team are confident the protective coating would exceed a further 10 years in service.
Find out more about how we can repair and protect tanks with our protective coatings here.
One of the largest and most competitive engineering, procurement, construction and installation contractors of offshore oil and gas projects in the Asia-Pacific region, recently approached our partners in China, to provide leakage prevention for an open drain caisson.
With leakages being a very common problem with this type of equipment, the client had considered repairing the issue as and when it would happen, using diving and injection repair. This approach is fairly common, but is expensive and may cause environmental consequences, with leakage of hazardous material to the sea.
The client decided providing leakage prevention for the open drain caisson; protecting the 52-metre long piece of equipment, and extending its service life form the start, with Corrocoat, was the best and most viable option. As part of the project the client commissioned the team to also protect the internals of an attachment pipeline, which was to be inserted in the caisson.
The team completed the project on-site and selected Polyglass VEF to line the caisson internals, via spray application. The pipe internals were also coated with Polyglass VEF, after first being split in to 2 sections. Once cured, the client welded the pipe sections back together, and a total of 10 pipes were inserted in to the caisson.
When in position, the team re-prepared the field fit weld area and coated over the weld joints with Polyglass VEF to complete the corrosion protection. The conditions in the caisson to complete the final stages of the project were very challenging, with a restrictive workspace as a result of the diameter of the caisson and the inserted pipes.
We recently welcomed Superintendent, Ryan Robertson (Corrocoat USA), Development Manager, Nguyen Minh Hieu and Tran Quang Phuc, Commercial and Services Department Manager (both from Vietnam Gre-Coating Engineering Services JSC), to the Corrocoat UK Head office. The trio were trained in our Composite Structural Rehabilitation System; which uses a combination of specialised laminating resins, interlayered with glass reinforced polymers (GRP) composite laminates to give structural strength to corrosion damaged pipework, and other damaged plant and machinery.
Whilst visiting the UK Head Office, the trio embarked on a full and comprehensive 2 weeks of training. Overseen by our Technical Services Engineer, Douglas Lynch, their visit started with advanced theory-based training, offering a deeper insight in to corrosion, service environments, product specifications and more. They then moved on to practical training, working on a number of projects in the coating and engineering workshop, overseen by Douglas and guided by Engineering Supervisor, Warren Marks – who has been part of the team here at Corrocoat, for almost 30 years.
From disassembling and working on the refurbishment of a large valve, to pipe casting, specialist coating techniques; including spraying and flood and drain, the delegates worked on a number of projects with our expert in-house team.
Douglas also took Ryan, Hieu and Phuc through their Composite Structural Rehabilitation (CSR) training, whilst Engineering Manager, Simon Cappleman carried out specialist pump training and showcased the intricacies of our in-house pump division and specialist proprietary Agmec Pipe spraying equipment.
The visit concluded with Ryan, Hieu and Phuc being presented with their certificates upon successful completion of their training.
Douglas said; “It was a pleasure training Ryan, Hieu and Phuc and I wish them continued success in their roles. I look forward to staying in touch with them and being updated on how their training at head office enhances them in their roles, and they pass on their knowledge to benefit our operations overseas.”
India is the not only the largest consumer of sugar in the world, it is now also the largest producer of sugar, displacing Brazil. The Indian sugar industry is the second largest agro-based industry in India.* With this in mind, our partners in India, Kirloskar Corrocoat, regularly work with clients in the sugar industry, providing refurbishment, repair and corrosion protection for plants and ancillary equipment. Kirloskar Corrocoat have applied Fluiglide E to more than 500 pumps in the sugar industry: providing improved efficiency, along with corrosion protection to considerably extend the life of the pumps.
Fluiglide was featured in the product showcase in the last edition of Corrocoat News (the May 2022 issue). These energy-efficient products maximise the performance of pumping systems used in power generation cooling water systems, water & waste treatment and process industries worldwide. They also provide an effective corrosion barrier, preventing early fall-off in performance due to nodular growth, corrosion and surface roughness.
Kirloskar Corrocoat recently worked with a client/sugar factory in the populous state of Maharashtra. They took on a project to refurbish and protect 5 injection water pumps (ranging from 6” to 16”) with Fluiglide E, with the aim of improving overall efficiency.
The below images show the top and bottom casing and the impeller.
Note, the wear ring portions and bore ID area were totally damaged by erosion & corrosion. The hydraulic portion of casing was in a heavily damaged condition.
For the refurbishment work, the internals were grit blasted in accordance with ISO-8501 to Sa2 ½ surface finish, and then coated using Fluiglide E, applied by brush to a minimum DFT of 1.2mm. The pitting and cavities were filled with Corrocoat EA; a viscous, solvent-free, high build, two pack epoxy coating with excellent erosion resistance, toughness and outstanding anti-corrosive properties. The internals were then spark tested at 10kV.
The externals were also grit blasted to Sa2 ½ surface finish and coated with a standard epoxy paint for aesthetic effect only, as requested by the client. Bearings and wearing rings were replaced, and the pumps were then reassembled using new fasteners, gaskets and fixings.
Assembled pumps awaiting dispatch to the client.
Find out more about how our coatings and services can repair and protect your pump and help improve efficiency, here.
Fibrecoat is a glass fibre reinforced vinyl ester glass-flake coating. Developed by Corrocoat, for use as a high-performance lining, Fibrecoat rehabilitates severely corrosion damaged pipes, and adds exceptional mechanical strength. The coating may be applied in a single layer or multiple layers at up to 3000 microns per coat. This hold-up capability makes the coating excellent at filling through-wall defects and bridging cracks, which ultimately leads to creating a composite pipe within a pipe.
Fibrecoat is highly abrasion resistant and suitable for application in aggressive service conditions, making it ideally suited to sewage applications. The coating system also has high temperature resistance. It is applied using the our specially designed airless spray equipment, the Agmec Pipe Sprayer, and we recently used the pipe spraying equipment to demonstrate the application of Fibrecoat to a 6” nominal bore pipe, which was 5.3 metres in length.
The pipe sprayer is used to coat pipe internals with suitable coatings. The coatings are atomised by centrifugal force that is produced by the specially designed spray cup. An oscillating spray pattern is produced through the spray cup being angled to the rotating head, so as the head turns, a to-and-fro movement is generated, much as would occur with a hand application.
The Agmec Pipe Sprayer allows for long pipe runs of up to 100m in length, and from 150mm to 1.2m in diameter to be coated in one pass. Savings are significant and in many cases pipework can be blasted and coated in-situ, without the need for expensive excavation and disassembly.
We prepared a sample 6” nominal bore pipe, which had suffered from corrosion damage, for the demonstration. The pipe had a set of holes drilled in from 6mm to 25mm, which were positioned at 12 o’clock and 3 o’clock. These were in place to demonstrate the coatings hole bridging properties, after applying a single coat and multiple coats.
For this application, the pipe was abrasive blasted. As Fibrecoat can be used to provide a composite pipe within a pipe, providing high hoop strength, a low-level surface preparation for application is possible in some environments.
An airless spray pump was connected to the pipe sprayer, with appropriate hoses for the diameter and length of the pipe. Following cleaning and flushing, the pump was then primed with a small amount of a lower viscosity, chemically compatible Corrocoat coating to aid the initial pumping of Fibrecoat.
The sprayer was deployed to the end of the pipe by pulling through with a previously fed small line. It was stopped at the end of the pipe with the sprayer head protruding.
The coating was atomised by centrifugal force that is produced by the specially designed spray cup. A fan angle spray pattern was produced through the spray cup being angled to the rotating head.
The coating covers hole sizes up to 12mm in a single coat and up to 25mm in two coats, depending on the DFT achieved.
Following cure, further coats can be applied to the desired thickness and to complete the bridging or filling of defects. Click here to see the full demonstration.
Corrocoat have been successfully applying coatings to pipes for decades. The development of Fibrecoat adds another dimension to our already vast range of pipe protecting capabilities.
For more information on Fibrecoat and/or the Agmec Pipe Spraying equipment, contact a member of the team here.
Our partners at Corrocoat Benelux were recently commissioned to coat 300 square meters of new flue gas duct sections, with a diameter of 2200mm. The sections were intended for an energy from waste plant and required a coating which could protect the steel against flue gases. Corrocoat Benelux have a long standing relationship with the client, who specialise in fabrication of this type of equipment, and have worked with them on numerous projects over the last 10 years.
The project was carried out at the Corrocoat workshop, and took a team of 4 men, under 2 weeks to complete. The sections were blasted internally and externally to Sa2 ½. A surface profile of approximately 70 microns was achieved on the internals, which was then coated with Polyglass VEF using airless spray application. Polyglass VEF is a glass flake vinyl ester acrylic co-polymer, which has superior resistance to chemical attack and high temperature resistance. The externals were coated with 1 layer of Plasmet ZF which once again offered superior resistance in a chemical environment.
India’s enormous energy needs are compelling a huge expansion of its installed power capacities. In response to the environmental implications of these high targets, the Indian Power Ministry has mandated clean coal technologies for the new generation of power plants, and has implemented major emission controls for existing plants, including installing flue gas desulfurization (FGD) systems.
One of the world leading FGD technology providers received numerous orders for installations of FGD Systems, from a national thermal power provider. The technology provider contracted our partners in India, Kirloskar Corrocoat Pvt Ltd (KCPL), to provide corrosion protection for FGD tanks. One of the projects also included work on roller compacted concrete (RCC) sumps, trenches, tanks and the outlet ducts of an absorber.
Surface Preparation: Abrasive blasting as per SSPC SP 13 / NACE No. 6 & SP 5 Data Sheet for Concrete Substrate requirement for coating.
Coating Application:
RCC Sump RCC Trenches
Surface Preparation: Abrasive blasting as per SA 2.5/ NACE No. 2/SSPC-SP10
Coating Application:
Having already completed 3 projects in 2022, KCPL look forward to further work in accordance with the client’s ongoing projects.
