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The Impact of Corrosion
Corrosion affects our society on a daily basis, causing deterioration and damage to every industry and infrastructure in our society. These damages affect energy and power production and distribution systems, manufacturing and transport operations, roadway and bridge networks, as well as airplanes, automobiles and even household items. The current cost of controlling this naturally occurring phenomenon and associated costs is substantial. The current per capita direct cost of corrosion for U.S. residents* is approximately $970 per person per year (approximately $270 Billion).
Direct Costs versus Indirect Costs:
Total direct annual corrosion costs are defined as |
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those incurred by owners and operators of structures, manufacturers of products, and suppliers of services. |
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lost productivity because of outages, delays, failures, and litigation; |
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additional taxes and overhead due to the cost of corrosion damage on goods and services in the governmental sector; and |
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indirect costs of nonowner/operator activities. |
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NACE conservatively estimated the indirect cost to be equal to the direct cost for a total of $552 billion. This represents 6 percent of the U.S. National GDP.
The bottom line is that the use of appropriate corrosion prevention and control methods protects public safety, prevents damage to property and the environment, and saves billions of dollars in the United States and worldwide.
Cor-Tain: WPSI Nano-Based Anti-Corrosion Technology
Our Cor-Tain technology is founded on the principles of applying two products to the metal surface:
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A metal-penetrating, nano-based hydrophobic primer coat that is easily applied and environmentally-safe, and
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An overcoat of a highly cross-linked nano-based hydrophobic polymer membrane to protect the nano-based primer from UV light (sunlight) as well as from impacts and weathering from abrasion, acids, petro-chemicals, etc. |
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Cor-Tain Development
The basis of WPSI primer coating starts with a base product that dates back to the late 1980s, which was fully developed and optimized in the early 1990s. This primer coating stops the chemical reaction known as rust by penetrating several thousandths of an inch into the metal's surface..
WPSI significantly optimized and enhanced this extremely rugged and proven base primer coating using nano-based, state-of-the-art proprietary technology.
Specifically formulated in WPSI’s labs to withstand extreme corrosives such as hydrofluoric acid in order to meet offshore petro-chemical requirements, Cor-Tain coats each micro-fissure in the metal with nano-particles, preventing hydrogen and oxygen molecules from invading the metal.
As of August 16, 2010, WPSI's Cor-Tain passed the 3,000 hour Salt Spray Testing program done in accordance with ASTM B117 by Exova Labs in Houston. (Exova Labs is an independent corrosion testing facility owned by Body Cote Labs International.) Exova is currently conducting exposure tests of Cor-Tain with hydrofluoric (HF) and hydrochloric (HCl) acids combined at elevated temperatures to meet ASTM G-48 requirements for a petrochemical company in South America.
Preliminary tests have also been done in parallel by subjecting WPSI’s Cor-Tain with exposure to 48-percent hydrofluoric acid at elevated temperatures over a one-month test. The testing so far indicates that there is no apparent swelling or degradation to Cor-Tain's secondary coating.
We are conducting further tests to meet infrastructure anti-corrosion requirements found in ASTM D-01, ASTM D-33, ASTM D2510, and NTPET (National Transportation Product Evaluation Program).
Cor-Tain HF/HCI Immersion Tests
Two Cor-Tain coated panels were supplied for immersion testing in an aqueous solution of 5 percent HF and 12 percent HCl by volume for 3 hours at room temperature. The panels were fully immersed with a minimum solution of 5mL/cm2 of surface area. An as-received photograph of the panels is provided as Figure 1.
Following immersion, the panels were examined visually. No obvious visual indications of blistering were noted to Cor-Tain coating. A photograph of the panels after immersion is provided as Figure 2.
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| Figure 1: Photograph showing the panels prior to immersion. Minor scale dimension is mm. |
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Figure 2: Photograph showing the panels after immersion. Minor scale dimension is mm. |
Looking Forward
WPSI is working with ASTM, NACE and the U.S. Coast Guard to begin additional tests needed for Cor-Tain to meet service requirements as required by various industries. |
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