Corrosion Control, preventative and maintenance
Corrosion control is an important factor for permanent and temporary insulation applications. While thinking about the materials used for your insulation systems it is important that you take not just the thermal properties of the materials themselves. In addition to this, you should also think about how moisture can move and stay inside or under the insulation. Moisture present in the insulation system can decrease the efficiency of your insulation, and damage the insulated structure itself. This is especially important when the piping or vessels experiences temperature cycles. Rusting of steel piping is a significant cost to the maintenance and shutdown costs for your application. If you require contamination to be prevented CUI can be detrimental. Strict quality control or applications that are in contact with food products are important examples of this.
Corrosion under insulation maintenance
When moisture condenses under insulation systems, it condenses with metal ions and salts that will react with the pipe surface, the insulation and the cladding around the insulation. Any surfaces this solution contacts will corrode, especially when under the stress of cycling temperatures found in thermal insulation systems. This is especially prevalent in applications near the coast or marine systems, due to the high salt content in the air. The effect of corrosion on industrial operations for either oil & gas operations but also minerals processing can cause problems either upstream or downstream from the area where corrosion occurs. Stoppages in processing to both find and remove or fix corrosion under insulation are time consuming and expensive. If you are in the oil and gas industry, leakages due to corrosion under insulation, or CUI, can contribute significantly to your overall maintenance costs. Different chemical and physical mechanisms cause this, namely galvanic, acidic, chloride or alkaline corrosion.
Corrosion control from the beginning
Bellis Australia has been dealing with corrosion under insulation since 1981. and in this time we have gained experience in locating and maintaining damaged insulation and pipe work. We use a complete turnkey solution to your corrosion under insulation problem. This starts with removing and inspecting insulation, painting of the pipework, and finally reinstalling replacement insulation. We can completed this with minimal impact on everyday operation. Bellis is also experienced with the insulation of complete systems that minimise CUI. These can either use vapour barriers and vapour stops to inhibit the transfer of moisture through insulation systems. Taping or painting pipework, vessels or whatever your applications may be also protects from corrosion. Installing closed cell insulation systems like foamglas is another possibility. Whether you need to find and remove your corrosion under insulation, or give you advice for future projects to minimise CUI Bellis can help. Contact us on 1300 740 564 or email us to talk to one of our experts regarding your specific problem.
