Page 178 - CW E-Magazine (20-5-2025)

Special Report

even when the temperature dropped harsh marine environment. Other TSA friendly, and effective, but hard to
significantly overnight. This ensured projects on this site have included a full apply.
that the project schedule was not im- range of pipes and vessels, including Polyurethane is an all-around good

pacted. The alkylated amine epoxy’s work on live operating plant. insulation product, though not parti-
ease of use and operational flexibility cularly eco-friendly.
were seen as major advantages for this Surface preparation by abrasive grit Polystyrene is a diverse insulation
maintenance project. Figure-10 shows blasting material, but its safety is debated.
a carbon steel boiler plant coated with To ensure the success of the thermal
alkylated epoxy coating for thermal spraying process, the preparation of Alkylated amine coatings have the
insulation & prevention of CUI. the pipeline surfaces is critical. For potential to revolutionize coating processes
this project the pipeline surface was in applications involving high tempera-
thermal sprayed aluminium (tSA) prepared by grit blasting with garnet tures or the potential for corrosion under
coatings to give a sharp angular profile for the insulation. The benefits to productivity
TSA, using flame spray equipment, TSA to bond to. As a part of the QA/QC through reduced drying and curing times
is found to be a cost-effective solution process, the blast profile was regularly and greater tolerance for application tem-
for protecting pipelines from CUI com- checked using Testex tape to ensure it peratures, paired with quality improve-
pared to other systems when reviewed meets the required 75-125 micron speci- ments such as their excellent resistance to
over the lifetime of the facility. fication. The grit blasted surface was cracking, make alkylated amine coatings
then given a visual inspection, using well-suited to increase output and reduce
In the petrochemical industry, CUI 10x magnification, to check the surface the costs of poor quality attributable to
in pipeline systems consumes a signi- cleanliness and finish. The pipes are current coating processes.
ficant percentage of the maintenance also given a ‘tape test’, which checks
budget. A large portion of this money for dust contamination of the blasted rEFErEncES
is spent on expensive items such as surface. The tape sample is then visu- 1. McCabe, Smith and Harriott,
external piping inspection, insulation ally inspected against white and black “Unit Operations of Chemical
removal and re-installation, painting backgrounds for signs of dust particles. Engineering,” McGraw-Hill, 2nd Ed.
and pipe replacements. CUI prevention The final quality test is a salt con- (2018).
strategies provide long term and reli- tamination test. Using a small flexible 2. Chopey, ed., “Handbook of
able prevention of CUI that move to- container a minimal amount of testing Chemical Engineering Calculations,
wards reduced inspection and mainte- solution is applied and agitated on the McGraw-Hill, (2002).
nance of piping systems and significant surface of the blasted pipe. This solu- 3. Thermaxx Jackets Publication.
maintenance cost reductions(7). tion is then checked for the presence of 4. Publication of U.S. Department of
salt using a test kit pipette. Once all of Energy, Energy Saver, Office of
Coating with TSA, using flame these tests have been passed the pipe- Energy Efficiency and Renewable
spray equipment, is one method that a lines are ready to be thermal sprayed Energy.
number of operators within the petro- with aluminium. 5. Papadopoulos, A.M., “State of the
chemical industry have adopted. TSA art in thermal insulation materials
is found to be a cost-effective solu- concluSIon and aims for future developments”,
tion compared to other systems when There are many forms of insula- Energy Build 2005, 37 (1), 77– 86.
reviewed over the lifetime of the facility tion available, each with their own 6. Morsch, S., Layon, S., Greensmith,
in petrochemical and other process set of properties. Only by researching P., and Gibbon, S.R., ‘Water trans-
industries. each kind thoroughly can you discover port in an epoxy-phenolic coating’,
which will be the right kind for your Organic Coatings, Vol.78, January
One of the petrochemical units has particular needs. As a quick overview: 2015, pp: 293-299.
established an ongoing programme for Aerogel is more expensive, but defi- 7. Glogovic, Z., Alar, V.,and Kozuh,

applying TSA as a solution for long- nitely the best type of insulation. Z., ‘Corrosion properties of Thermal
term protection against atmospheric Fiberglass is cheap, but requires Sprayed Aluminum (TSA)

corrosion and CUI. One specific project careful handling. Coatings deposited by powder
is a three-quarter mile long marine jetty Mineral wool is effective, but not flame spraying’, Material Science

pipeline that is used for the transporta- fire resistant. and Engineering Technology,
tion of lube oil and is exposed to the Cellulose is fire resistant, eco- March 2011.

178 Chemical Weekly May 20, 2025

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