100% Solid Polyurethane the Innovative Technology for Corrosion Protection

Abstract

100% solid polyurethane is the latest innovation in the field of anti corrosive coatings. It is internationally recognised for providing highest degree of protection to vital installations such as oil & gas pipelines, tanks, LPG mounded bullets and structures exposed to aggressi-vely corrosive environment encountered in buried underground conditions or exposed to seawater such as drilling platforms, coastal installations or plant and equipment in sewage / waste water treatment services. 100% solid polyurethane is a two component, solvent free, elastomeric, thermosetting coating compound, which is expected to preserve the integrity of structures over their design life. It is preferred over other traditional coating systems because of its outstanding life expec-tancy, resistance to aggressively corrosive environment, very high abrasion and impact resistance, strong adhesion to steel substrate, extremely fast curing capability, high film build characteristic and most importantly, compliance with rigorous regulations on volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions. In India, the concept of 100% solid polyurethane coating has come in only recently. Major oil and gas companies and reputed engineering consultants are now recommending its use to protect critical installations such as LPG moun-ded bullets, rehabilitation of old pipelines where conven-tional coating have failed, field joint of cross country pipelines, internal linings of intake water pipelines in power plants, equipment employed in waste water treatment plants etc. This paper discusses in depth the chemistry of 100% solid polyurethane, its properties & physical characteri-stics, equipment and application techniques as also its various advantages.