Spray-on cure for corrosion headache

Some inventions find an immediate market, while others require additional development to make them widely applicable. This is what Arthur Haycox, group managing director of Alocit (U.K.) Ltd., Dereham, U.K., believes of a coating introduced 30 years ago, which is only now ready for the big time. Enviropeel is a thermoplastic polymer-Haycox would not reveal any more-into which is mixed a corrosion inhibitor. This is applied at a temperature of 170-175° C. to coat flanges, pipework, and even

Nov. 9, 1998

3 min read

David Knott
London
[email protected]

Some inventions find an immediate market, while others require additional development to make them widely applicable.

This is what Arthur Haycox, group managing director of Alocit (U.K.) Ltd., Dereham, U.K., believes of a coating introduced 30 years ago, which is only now ready for the big time.

Enviropeel is a thermoplastic polymer-Haycox would not reveal any more-into which is mixed a corrosion inhibitor. This is applied at a temperature of 170-175° C. to coat flanges, pipework, and even entire machines.

"The barrier coating itself has been in use for 30 years," said Haycox. "It has a melting point of 160° C. and solidifies quickly when it touches the metallic surface. Later it can be peeled off with a knife and reused.

"Until now, it has been difficult to make the coating easily applicable in the field. Only recently has technology become available to instantly heat and apply such a coating. We have developed an applicator similar to a paint sprayer, with its application temperature controlled by a computer."

Potential

Haycox sees big potential for Enviropeel in the oil and gas industry, particularly for protecting pipe flanges and for mothballing equipment.

A typical coating would be 2-2.5 mm thick. On drilling rigs and platforms and in refineries it would find ready use on the "red hot" areas of high corrosion, notably pipe flanges.

Further uses are expected to include protecting new equipment in storage before it is delivered to an installation and covering standby power plant facilities, so that corrosion does not prevent immediate start-up.

Haycox reckons his system can save 85% on protection of corrosion on pipe flange joints, equating to about $1 million on an average platform over 20 years.

A conventional cap, band, or tape application to protect a flange joint was estimated to cost £100 ($170), including operating time: "Enviropeel comes in at well under half of this for an average flange. We did one on test for just £30 ($51)."

Jewel

Enviropeel might never have been ready for widespread application had Haycox not spotted its potential when he took over Alocit about 4 years ago.

"When I bought the company, I saw this product as the jewel in the crown," said Haycox. Recognizing the need for a practicable applicator, he got an engineer to develop one specifically for that purpose.

Haycox said the system is cheap enough for every platform and rig to keep an applicator and a small stock of the polymer on board.

"Aesthetic it is not," said Haycox, "but an effective barrier it is. It protects against corrosion 100%. It is also an accountant's dream-because it is reusable, it can be listed as stock.

"Enviropeel can be applied on almost any surface, including steel, concrete, and wood. It is totally safe to the environment, since it contains no volatile organic compounds. Engineers now have a solution to one of their biggest and costliest corrosion headaches."