Challenge

A corroded and leaking underground 25" carbon steel cooling water pipe. Due to the leak, the cat cracker is not operational. Every day the cat cracker is not operational results in an approximate loss of one million dollars.

Solution

An effective and efficient solution was required so the refinery could return the cat cracker to service. After digging up the pipe, a belly clamp was constructed to encapsulate the damaged pipe section.

The clamp had a 4" stand off from the damaged section of pipe. Due to occasional temperature spikes between 250°F and 300°F, SC5400 paste was used to seal the clamp. After the clamp to the pipe was sealed, the clamp was filled with the SC5400 paste and allowed to set.

As an extra layer of protection, the entire clamp was then wrapped with a cloth mesh fabric infused with SC5400. The corroded, leaking pipe was repaired and restored, and the cat cracker was returned to service in record time.

The Novocoat team saved the refinery millions in lost revenue.

Challenge

The Roger Road Wastewater Treatment Plant had an expensive problem: a severely deteriorated concrete splitter box needed to be repaired, but before any work on this operating structure could begin, a temporary but costly "pump around facility" had to be installed to handle the process performed by the splitter box, says John Munden, Civil Engineering Manager with the Pima County Wastewater Management Department.

The splitter box is used to split the flow of raw sewage and direct it to various primary clarifiers, he says. The structure was to have been part of a larger project to rehabilitate other concrete structures with a calcium aluminate cement underlayment and epoxy topcoat, but the contractor handling that job declined to take on the splitter box, declaring that it couldn't be fixed, says Allen Kauffman, the president of another contracting firm that subsequently did the work using a polymer concrete repair product and an epoxy novolac lining.

The covered splitter box is 8 ft. (2.4 m) wide, 18 ft. (5.4 m) long, and divided into two sections of different heights to aid in sewage separation. The turbulent contents of the splitter box encourage the development of hydrogen sulfide gas and the subsequent growth of microorganisms that attack the concrete substrate, says Kauffman. In addition, says Munden, the cover exacerbates the hydrogen sulfide problem by trapping the gas, increasing its concentration in the structure. The deterioration of the splitter box was extensive, but not uniform, says Munden. In some areas affected by sulfuric acid attack, the concrete had lost over 50% of its original thickness. Concrete had been eaten away, exposing rebar. One wall, originally 12 in. (30.5 cm) thick, was reduced to a three-inch (7.6-centimeter) thickness, says Kauffman. The rebar in some areas had been completely corroded, he adds.

Given twelve days to do the work in November 2003, Kauffman's company began the project by power washing the splitter box at 3,500 psi (233 bar) to clean the concrete surface and remove loose material. The deteriorated areas were then abrasive blasted with copper slag. The contractor installed a new mat rebar system, securing it to concrete with drilled-in dowels or tying it to the existing rebar. The contractor then performed another power wash with an injection of a soluble salt treatment. Blowers were set up to speed drying, and six hours later, the contractor began applying the polymer concrete repair product by trowel.

Working on one wall section at a time, the contractor applied the polymer concrete repair product in approximately two-inch (five-centimeter) thick layers, says Kauffman. The concrete repair material was allowed to set up for two hours before additional layers were applied. The contractor built the walls of the concrete structure back to their original thicknesses, in some cases taking a 1/8-inch-thick (3 mm) area back to 10 in. (25 cm). The contractor performed adhesion tests on the concrete repair product, noting that the cementitious substrate failed before the polymer concrete repair product.

The surface preparation, rebar installation and rebuilding of the concrete took four days, says Kauffman. Forced heat aided the cure of the concrete repair material, allowing the contractor to proceed with the lining application 12 hours later. Over two days, two coats of the chemical-resistant epoxy novolac lining were applied by brush and roller to a total thickness between 30 and 35 mils (750 and 875 micrometers). The epoxy novolac was heat cured over the first night and then heat cured for 24 hours following the final application, says Kauffman. According to Kauffman, Pima County had an inspector on site during all working hours.

The concrete splitter box rehabilitation was completed in less than 7 days, saving more money in "pump around facility" expenses than it cost to perform the work, says Kauffman. The contractor performed a follow-up inspection in March 2005, noting no signs of deterioration of the system. Munden says that, although a formal follow-up inspection has not been conducted on the operating splitter box, the lining system appears to be holding up well. He adds that the many of the metal components of the splitter box have been replaced and that it is slated for the installation of a ventilation system for odor control and hydrogen sulfide mitigation. Opt Co. (Gilbert, AZ) performed the surface preparation and underlayment and lining application. Novocoat (Addison, TX) manufactures the polymer concrete repair material and the epoxy novolac lining. Hold Tight Solutions Inc. (Houston, TX) manufactures the soluble salt treatment.

Challenge

The Ina Road Wastewater Treatment Facility expanded to double in size. Among the many needs of the expansion project was to ensure that the new infrastructure was protected for many years to come, allowing the maximum life for the anoxic basins, aeration basins, skimmer house primary clarifiers and influent and bypass channels. It was imperative the coating selected to protect these structures would be able to withstand the chemical and hydrogen sulfide gas attack.

Solution

After careful review and selection, Novocoat SP2000R was chosen by third party engineers as the Category A coating, where the toughest protection was required. Over 13,000 gallons of product was applied to the anoxic basins, aeration basins, skimmer house clarifiers and the influent/by pass channels.

The project also utilized Novocoat?s line of sealers, primers and pastes to complete the coating phase of the multi-year project.

Challenge

The problem here was a valve box header leak. The main cooling water header used to cool the poly-alky unit had developed a major leak. The pipe could not be repaired because the valves used to isolate the pipe leak were not functioning properly.

Solution

The Novocoat Team went in and performed an emergency pipe encapsulation using fiberglass mesh infused with SP2000R to abate the water heat. The poly unit was able to continue to operate at full power, eliminating the need to shut the unit down for pipe replacement.

The cost savings to the refinery were estimated in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Challenge

Concrete encased pipe and valve body had developed a severe leak. The leak was unable to be repaired with conventional pipe wrap methods. Major NE Coast Oil Refinery was faced with a costly replacement.

Solution

Novocoat was able to provide a quick and economical solution. The quick set R200 was used to stop active leaking. Next, a wood box was constructed around the entire valve body and damaged pipe. The box was then filled with a mixture of SC1100 and sand to completely encapsulate the valve and the pipe. The pipe and valve body were repaired and leak free.

Major NE Coast Oil Refinery maintenance called the project a complete success, saving valuable time and realizing significant cost savings to the operation of the unit.

Challenge

The cooling tower for an office building in Richardson, Texas was leaking hundreds of gallons of water and needed to be replaced. While the office building was closed over July fourth weekend in 1996, the repair crew had 48 hours to repair the leaks in the basin, completely recoat the inside and outside of the basin and the entire structure, including insulated piping and hot boxes, and return the structure to full operating status.

Solution

The inside surface of the basin was prepared for coating with a light blasting of the surface. The holes were repaired using a polymer mesh and Novocoat EC306 paste with an immediate flood coat of SP2000R to seal and protect the basin substrate. In addition, SP2000R was used to coat all other surfaces and the job was completed within thirty-six hours.

Ten years later, the cooling tower is still operating in satisfactory condition. The life of the cooling tower has been extended by double, at a cost of approximately 15% of the replacement cost.

There are hundreds of other cooling towers across the U.S.A. with a similar story of how SP2000R saved the day.