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Protective Coatings Master Plan for Large Facilities

By Manuel Najar, P.E.

In 2002, the Federal Highway Administration reported the direct cost of metallic corrosion in the US to be approximately $276 billion which is 3.1% of the Gross Domestic Product. Of the $276 billion, 34.7% consisted of electrical utilities, gas distribution, drinking water, and sewer systems. Similarly, 16.4% of the $276 billion consisted of HAZMAT storage, highway bridges, waterways and ports, and gas and liquid transmission pipelines.[1] For chemical plants, water transmission, highway transportation and wastewater plants, implementing a protective coatings program is an effective way of reducing corrosion related costs. V&A can share some insights into this matter because we have experience in conducting condition assessments and in assisting owners in specifying protective coatings.

Investing in a Protective Coatings Program

Before a protective coating program is implemented, the management team must believe that protective coatings are an investment that will save money in the long term. However, many times management is discouraged by the initial price tag of protective coatings so they continue to do spot repairs and allow their assets to degrade further.  Therefore, the owner or management team must evaluate the following items to determine if implementing a protective coatings program will be beneficial:

1. Costs attributed to corrosion-related maintenance.
2. More efficient use of company resources (i.e., money, personnel).
3. Reduction in shut down times and losses in productivity due to maintenance work.
4. Protection of assets or critical pipelines/structures of a process.
5. Potential safety and environmental impacts of a leak or failure.
6. Age of assets and their existing condition.

To illustrate the need for protective coatings, the photos below show a wet well before and after the epoxy coating was applied to the concrete surfaces. During the condition assessment, the existing coating had blistered and exposed the concrete surfaces to the wastewater. As a result, there were large areas of exposed aggregate below the high water line.

Photo 1. Exposed aggregate and blistered coatings on walls of wet well.	Photo 2. Application of an epoxy on water-blasted concrete surfaces.

Implementing a Protective Coatings Program

One of the first steps in implementing a protective coatings program would be to find all design specifications, drawings, or maintenance records for all existing coating systems. Next, the following data should be recorded during an inspection:

1. Location of area inspected.
2. Service environment in area, (i.e., immersed, splash zone, atmospheric).
3. Coating identification and its existing condition.
4. Practical restrictions on maintenance (i.e., shutdowns, confined space).
5. Physical test results on existing coatings.
6. Variations in the coating from the coating specifications or drawings.

Once the data is collected and analyzed, it can be used to determine the facilities’ coating needs and to create a priority list of structures or pipelines to be coated. Cost estimates can be derived for the structures or pipelines. Owners must then implement the protective coatings program by completing the following tasks:

1. Assign a Project Manager, Resident Engineer, and organize a committee to implement the program.
2. Decide if the coating selection and application can be done by existing staff, a consultant, and/or an outside contractor.
3. Decide which structures or pipelines can be grouped together to save money on mobilization and demobilization costs.
4. Consider the life cycle cost analysis for each coating product.
5. Select key points on a structure or facility as reference points (“Benchmark Points”) for inspections.
6. Consider the benefits and disadvantages of spot repairs vs. complete removal of the existing protective coatings.
7. Approve a schedule and budget for protective coatings work based on the analysis and recommendations from a consultant, manufacturer, or staff.
8. Encourage maintenance staff to use a standard inspection form for protective coatings.
9. Create standard drawings and specifications for protective coatings and linings for all future work.
10. Conduct inspections after 5, 10, and 25 years.

Benchmark Points of inspection are identified after coating work is complete and serve as a reference point during planned inspections. These locations can be used to measure and document how the coating and lining system is performing. By taking a proactive position with inspection, repairs can be made which will greatly extend the useful life of the coating and lining systems. Surprisingly, there are systems that can provide a 50-year service life with the correct planning, application, and inspection.

V&A’s Role in Protective Coating System Master Planning

V&A has extensive experience in specifying and conducting condition assessments of existing protective coating systems. V&A engineers have completed C-1 (Fundamentals of Protective Coatings for Industrial Structures) and C-2 (Specifying and Managing Protective Coatings Projects) training by SSPC, The Society for Protective Coatings.  Readers should contact V&A at the number below for any additional information or guidance is needed with respect to these and other services.

V&A Consulting Engineers
1999 Harrison Street, Suite 975, Oakland, CA 94612
Tel. (510) 903-6600, Fax (510) 903-6601
www.vaengr.com
Copyright 2005