And just like that, we enter another new year! Following an interesting 2023, and an extremely eventful one from a business perspective; progress was made into new markets. We welcomed overseas partners to the UK for the Corrocoat Global Partner Conference, as well as working with hundreds of new and existing clients both nationally and internationally. We look forward to a great 2024.
Some of you may be aware that this year we are celebrating 50 years since Corrocoat was founded by our CEO, Charles Watkinson. In that time, Charles has been instrumental in expanding Corrocoat in to over 30 countries and employing over 1000 people globally. He has designed engineering repair systems, coatings and coating technology, written numerous technical papers and is the inventor of several patents. With a rich brand history and heritage, we have some very exciting plans to honour the incredible milestone this year… stay tuned.
We also have some very exciting news, as the New Year sees Phillip Watkinson, General Manager/Director promoted to the Managing Director of Corrocoat, and sister company Corroserve.
Phillip first joined the company in 2001. He is fully immersed in all areas of the company, and provides a wealth of knowledge and expertise when it comes to specialist coatings and mechanical engineering.
Graham Greenwood-Sole, previous Managing Director for 20 years, moves to the role of part time Technical Director, overseeing and implementing technical and engineering strategies, to ensure continued business growth and success.
Please join us in wishing Phillip and Graham the very best in their new roles. It’ s a very exciting time here at Corrocoat.
Here’s to a great and prosperous year ahead and continued success.
A thermal power plant in Gujarat, India, required refurbishment and corrosion protection for four vertical turbine pump impellers. The pumps, which were made of super duplex steel and had no prior protective coating, had been in operation in sea-water for approximately 12 to 15 years.
The impellers had developed cracks and mechanical damage over time, which significantly impacted their performance. To address these issues, the client approached our partners in India, Kirloskar Corrocoat Private Ltd (KCPL). KCPL were to provide a comprehensive solution; repairing and rebuilding the blades, as opposed to replacing with new impellers.
Along with sister company Kirloskar Brother Limited; a global leader in pump systems, KCPL were able to offer a turnkey solution to repair the damage to the impeller vanes, using both cold and hot refurbishment methods, followed by DP (dye penetration) and UT (ultra-sonic testing). Polyglass VEHA was then applied, with an overcoat of Fluiglide.
Polyglass VEHA is a cold cured glass flake vinyl ester acrylic co-polymer, which was selected as its properties make it ideal for immersion environments, where superior resistance to chemical attack is required.
Whereas Fluiglide; a cold cured, highly modified chemically resistant, two-pack resin system filled with stabilising enforcement to reduce cold flow characteristics, was used to reduce friction and increase energy efficiency.
Following the mechanical refurbishment and coating work as per ISO 21940, the team carried out dynamic balancing of the impeller. They also successfully resolved the problem of uneven clearances between the impeller and liner, further optimising the pump’s performance and efficiency.
KCPL’s specialist pump refurbishment and coating technology provided an effective and efficient solution for the client, ensuring extended lifespan and improved performance, and significant time and cost savings. The cost to refurbish each impeller was just 30% of the original price of the impeller, not to mention the short lead time to repair, as opposed to the delivery timescales for new impellers.
The maintenance team at a sugar mill in Indonesia were fighting a losing battle against corrosion on the welding joints of their CO₂ pipeline. The purpose of the CO₂ gas at the sugar mill was for carbonation, ultimately improving the quality of the sugar.
In the carbonatation process, the melt is spiked with lime [Ca(OH)2] then CO₂ gas is flowed in the carbonatation vessel, a precipitate of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) is formed which absorbs/binds impurities, including reducing dyes so that the acidic pH dissolves again. The source of CO₂ gas comes from boiler gas which has been purified through a scrubber. The carbonation process is carried out in two stages: 1. Add lime as much as 0.5% brix together with flowing CO₂ equivalent to the amount of lime added 2. At the end of the carbonator completes the reaction with CO₂ flow until the pH drops to around 8.3, then the liquor is filtered in a pressure filter (leaf filter) to produce filter liquor and mud.
At that time, the plant was using SS304 & SS316L stainless material for their pipework. But, after just six months in service, the pipework was suffering leaks on the welding joints areas.
So impressed with the result and performance of the Polyglass VE system, once the pipework was put back in to service, the client chose to downgrade their pipework material to carbon steel, and award Corrocoat Indonesia with additional contracts for their expansion and preventive maintenance programs, for further CO₂ piping systems, over the next three years.
Corrocoat USA was recently contacted by a general contractor that constructed a sodium hypochlorite containment for Florida’s largest community-owned electric utility company, serving more than 1 million Northeast Florida residents with electric, water, sewer and reclaimed water services.
The containment required a lining for the concrete floor that met 3 requirements:
As a result of the turnkey nature of the business and ability to provide the required 5-year warranty, Corrocoat USA were chosen for the project.
The surface was first wet abrasive blasted with Chlor*Rid to removal salts and remove laitance. It was then primed with Plasmet ECP; a high-solids, low viscosity, two or three-pack epoxy primer, used to prepare concrete surfaces that are damp, or where levels of moisture are approaching the saturation point of concrete.
Once the primer had cured, the surface was graded towards the sump using Corrocoat Zip E screed; an epoxy glassflake coating with additional fillers, which provides cost-effective, durable protection in aggressive atmospheric conditions and aquatic immersion environments. It has excellent application characteristics, in single applications.
Following cure of Zip E Screed, all transitions and 100% of the sump area were laminated using Corrocoat Epoxy Laminating Resin and fiberglass matting. The surface was abraded to remove nibs and cleaned, then Plasmet AR3 was applied at 48-60 mils DFT, to provide the required protection.
Following the success of the project, Corrocoat USA has completed a second containment for the same contractor, and has a 3rd awaiting approval.
Find out more about out high performance products here.
The largest oil services company in Kuwait, recently contacted our partners in Kuwait, Aja Technological Solutions Co. to provide long term protection to the floor of a containment area, spanning 500m².
Over the years the concrete floor had continued to suffer corrosion as a result of raw hydrochloric acid spills. To try and rectify the issue, the client would constantly re-concrete the floor, which proved both ineffective and extremely costly.
Four applicators from the team in Kuwait completed the project in 24 days; preparing and coating a concrete floor which had been laid 28 days prior to work commencing. Initially, the surface was abrasive blasted to remove surface laitance or weak frangible material. Following the removal of dust and debris and a thorough vacuum cleaning, the prepared concrete was then primed with Polyglass PPA, which was used as a penetrating primer and to strengthen the immediate top layer.
The team then applied a Corrocoat laminating system, prior to the application of Polyglass Standard, to 1500 microns.
Throughout this project the team faced numerous challenges. As the project was undertaken in an open space, considerations and allowances for changing weather were factored in. On alternative days, the team were required to provide a cover for the area, to protect the concrete from absorbing water. Also, as the project was conducted in the South of Kuwait, surrounded by desert, there were also considerations regarding the 40°C summer heat, towards the final stages of the project.
The client was extremely satisfied with the solution provided and the guarantee of long-term cost-effective protection.
Contact a member of the team today to discuss how we can repair and protect your concrete floor.
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.