Corrosion under Insulation

Corrosion under insulation is hard to detect but its effects can be cataclysmic. This article talks about corrosion under insulation, and how coating can prevent this.

T E C H N O L O G Y
Corrosion

lobally, companies such as ExxonMobil and Shell are turning to Thermal Spray Aluminum (TSA) as the solution to CUI. The technology, which is more than a hundred years old, has proven itself as corrosion under insulation (CUI) mitigation coating. Simple to apply, cheap, and robust, these coatings provide a 20-year CUI inspection cycle at ExxonMobil, and 40 years at Shell. TSA is unaffected by CUI conditions, even in severe cyclic operation with mineral wool. ExxonMobil has a vessel operating in these conditions for over 50 years and it still has its original 1958 TSA coating on it, without any maintenance or touch-up done. It is pretty impressive, and a good reason to look at TSA. Shell has launched a global TSA implementation program to mitigate the damage caused by CUI. It is simply aluminum wire that is heated, atomized, and sprayed onto the blasted surface until the correct thickness is achieved. It is an old, simple solution without many opportunities for people to make money on it; besides the applicators, the owners also save due to reduced maintenance costs. It has been part of NACE SP0-198-2010 Control of Corrosion under Insulation and Fireproofing for years and peers from all industries (insulation, paint, cladding, applicators, owners, etc.) who have reviewed this document all agree that TSA is an important CUI mitigation technology. TSA is also an important part of EFC WP 13 and WP15 Corrosion in the Refinery Industry CORROSION UNDER INSULATION (CUI) GUIDELINE. The people at ExxonMobil were very much involved with this document, especially the TSA parts. Overall, both ExxonMobil and Shell consider TSA a CUI mitigation method and freely say so. In 2011, at the Houston coating society, Shell Global Solutions reaffirmed their global commitment to TSA and presented ~4 years worth of lab testing with TSA under all common insulations in constant wet/dry cycling and in boiling saltwater. TSA (1100 alloy) was not affected by mineral wool, pearlite, or any other insulation. Shell also presented this data and reaffir-

mation, and had their global CUI manger there to say that under all CUI conditions, TSA coated equipment will have a 40-year inspection cycle. Shell bases this time-frame on lab data and actual historical performance, like ExxonMobils 50-year old mineral wool insulated vessel. One thing to understand that while TSA is anodic to carbon steel, it is also a huge anode as compared to any holidays that might be present (excellent anode to cathode ratio). Due to this, and the inert, firmly adhered oxide layer that forms on the surface and in any pores in the TSA (1100 alloy!), the coating is considered first and foremost a barrier to electrolytes (water) thus removing one part of the corrosion cell. To make certain that the TSA is a barrier, it is applied 2X thicker for use in CUI conditions than normally required (most specifications are looking for around 12 mils/300 microns for CUI mitigation). It is a very effective barrier at this thickness, especially when the correct aluminum alloy is chosen and any porosity inherent in TSA is closed up by oxides (this happens when the TSA gets wet). The second way it protects is by being an anode. The entire carbon steel surface coated is now cathodic to the entire TSA coating, therefore removing the possibility of carbon steel corrosion cells until the TSA is all consumed. With such a huge anode to cathode ratio, the expected holidays in the coating would take an incalculably long time to consume. Also, the aluminum ions that transfer to the holidays tend to passivate the uncoated carbon steel surfaces, slowing down the corrosion process to almost a standstill. This has all been proven out time and time again in tremendous amounts of testing done and real world use over the last 100 years or so. Shell did intentional TSA holiday testing under various insulations with wet cycling, saw how well it performed, and concluded that 40 years would be a good time to strip insulation and inspect. If it did not work so well, I do not think companies like Shell and ExxonMobil would be using it. The 40-year inspection cycle (not 40-year life, as TSA users feel that

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after 40 years the coating will still be corrosion-free) is based on actual experience with TSA/CUI coatings applied for more than 40 years in the field. For Shell, it is also based on their own internal lab tests. The surface does not have to be too perfect. Some petrochemical company written specs are nearwhite, others are white, most are in the 3mil/ 75micron range. Residual chlorides are not much of an issue with TSA. Like any other process, the applicator needs to know how to do it.
This publication thanks Mr. Bill Jordan, General Manager, MTM Metalizing for providing this article. Bill has been with the company since the formation of the company in 2006 in Singapore. Prior to MTM Metalizing, Bill worked for Bell Helicopter, and prior to that, had seventeen years in the petrochemical and offshore Inspection and Construction industry, in the Asia Pacific region with Nippon Steel, Oceaneering International, Sub Sea International (now Subsea Seven) and Comex (now Acergy).

Once the surface is blasted clean (which realistically needs to be done when applying any good CUI coating system) and we look at the costs of the actual coatings, TSA is not really that expensive. Figure on the application speed to be in the 100 square foot per hour range. Slower than paint for sure (but it is a low-build system (12mil/350 micron range) that is fully applied in one pass with no drying time. HA Enquiry Number 07/09-06
Bill is responsible for the development and quality of the coatings applied by MTM Metalizing, including exotic metals, as well as educating the customers on the benefits of Thermally Sprayed coatings in corrosion control. Bill graduated from the University of Auckland, New Zealand with a Bachelor of Engineering in Chemicals and Material Engineering. That was later followed with a MBA from the National University of Singapore and he is an SSPC Certified Coating Inspector. He has over twenty years experience in the coating, inspection and construction industry.

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