The Heat-Flex Hi-Temp 1200 coating from Sherwin-Williams (Cleveland, Ohio, USA) was recently chosen to protect against corrosion and high heat for oil and gas bulk valves at Saudi Aramco’s Ras Tanura refinery in Saudi Arabia.
Experts from the coating manufacturer collaborated with contractor Tecnicas Reunidas (Madrid, Spain) on the clean fuels and aromatics project to protect bulk valves for various process conditions and temperatures, all while ensuring continuous operations at the facility.
The coating is described by the manufacturer as the industry’s next-generation, single-component corrosion under insulation (CUI) solution for high-heat applications. It offers corrosion resistance and enhanced durability in reducing shop-to-field damage with faster shop throughput. It also provides lower volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
“We were aware of the challenges associated with bulk valve packages for these projects, and our R&D [research and development] team came up with a versatile solution for our customer to provide the necessary level of protection with efficiencies in time and cost of using only one product,” says Emre Karapinar, project development manager.
Independently tested and certified for use in severely corrosive environments, the coating comes without the need of an inorganic zinc primer, even when it is cured at ambient temperatures. It is approved under Saudi Aramco’s engineering standard as a CUI coating for oil and gas projects in the Middle East.
The product can be applied direct to steel or stainless steel, or as a coating under insulation. According to the manufacturer, it can be used on cryogenic equipment or over properly prepared steel surfaces that are either insulated or uninsulated. It is described as ideal for power plants, refineries, chemical facilities, offshore and marine applications, and the pulp and paper industries.
Source: Sherwin-Williams, protectiveemea.sherwin-williams.com.