ALUMINUM-CERAMIC PROTECTION FOR FERROUS METALS

New corrosion-resistant aluminum-ceramic coating for structures and installations made of iron and steel

Scientific-manufacturing enterprise TOPAS has created a new composite corrosion-resistant coating for iron and steel structures, such as pipelines, hulls, main bodies of offshore drilling platforms, and bridges.

Passivating protective coating TU 1394-002-18550818-99 is intended to prevent corrosion of ferrous metals that are used in strong and weak corrosive environments, pH=2-12, and in saline solutions. The coating is composite and strongly coalesced with the base. This coating consists of an aluminum matrix with uniformly distributed metallurgically-bound ceramic and intermetallic particles. The coating is applied via high-energy spraying of aluminum and ceramic particles fused in a supersonic plasma jet onto a pre-treated surface. This aluminum-ceramic coating does not change its original properties under effect of the main service aging factors, e.g. temperature, temperature and moisture, corrosive environments, and electric potentials. It not only protects the welds against corrosion, but also enhances the welded joints’ resistance to stress corrosion cracking. Coated sheet steel can be cold-formed and rolled without damage done to the coating’s protective qualities.

Special plasma machinery TOPAS-2 is applied to spray aluminum-ceramic coatings in stationary conditions, while TOPAS-5 devices are used outdoor, e.g. to apply coatings on tube and pipe joints.

The aluminum-ceramic coating has been introduced for tubes, 57 to 820 mm in diameter, of AKOR firm with the United Electric Power Complex corp. in the city of Ulyanovsk. At the moment, one square meter of the coating costs USD 6-8. Service life of coated pipelines adds up to at least 30 years.

Tubes and pipes are designed for construction of heat networks, engineering communications, and other pipelines laid using any method possible. The coating is at least 250 micrometers thick. Insulated tubes and pipes can be used and stored under any temperature without extra cathodic protection. Strict adherence to technological requirements brings in highly efficient corrosion-resistance of tubes and pipes.