THE REASON FOR PIPE COATING
By coating pipelines with Epoxy and PE with Concrete Coating for negative buoyancy, The integrity of the pipelines are protected from corrosion and underground elements, thereby giving a longer lasting usage for the pipelines.

SURFACE CLEANLINESS
In pipe coating, blasting and painting, steel surface cleanliness is very important.

Surface contamination by salts such as chloride, sulphate and nitrate can result in blistering, delamination and coating failure.

All steel pipes and substrates including blast abrasives must to tested for salts contamination.

Steel surfaces with unacceptable high levels of chloride and salts contamination must undergo high pressure power fresh water washing or treated with oakite chemicals to remove the chloride and salts contaminants from the steel surfaces prior to re-blasting of cleaning with compressed air and steel grit.

This will ensure maximum corrosion protection and reduce pre-mature coating failure.

SURFACE PREPARATION
Prior to application of modern protective coatings (such as SP-2888, SP-8888 and SK-323)surface is prepared in the correct manner to obtain optimum adhesion and resistance to corrosion.

To achieve this, the far superior method is by wheelabrator blast wheel propelling steel shot and grit to prepare the steel surface to the correct cleanliness and the correct profile, to surpass clients’ and manufacturers’ coating specifications.

Worldwide, blast wheels are utilized for the steel surface preparation prior to the application of protective coatings. This procedure is mandatory in the QA annuals of major construction companies.

Structural steels, onshore and offshore pipelines and production platforms are cleaned by this method prior to fabrication and installation, to extend the anti-corrosion protection time and to meet the high standards of modern day protective coatings.

WHY BLAST AND APPLY PROTECTIVE COATING PRIOR TO FABRICATION/INSTALLATION/ERECTION?
1.Inspection is more thorough, not only for steel preparation, but steel defects can also be detected.
2.Cleanliness and profile can be monitored constantly.
3.Thickness of protective coating can be correctly identified.

BLAST WHEEL TECHNOLOGY
The wheel is the first element of blast cleaning steel. Its function is to propel steel shots and grit at optimum velocity to remove contaminants to provide anchor pattern to ensure optimum adhesion of protective coating and resistance particularly to corrosion.

The steel particle impact/count of shot and grit ranges from 92,000 to 58,000 depending on the HP of the motor and the wheel diameter.

The volume of abrasive thrown by a 30-HP motor is approximately 3,600 Kg per minute.
Many companies who previously used compressed air blasting systems for cleaning steels are now insisting on the blast wheel system.
THE REASON – A blast wheel will project (by centrifugal force)
20 times more abrasive than air fed blast nozzles.
The extent the cleaning speed of the blast wheel to air nozzle by a ratio of 35:1 which means to the fabricator, no delays in the construction section having to wait for steel to fabricate.

Our coating equipment are of very high standards to meet clients’ required specifications.

WHEELABRATOR SHOT-GRIT BLASTING MACHINES
Our wheelabrator machines are capable of blasting for example, a 12 metre x 20” diameter pipe to SA 2.5 in approximately 2 minutes and can accommodate pipes from 20cm (0.74”) to 2m (80”), 3 metres to 18 metres in length.

These machines consist of a 120ft conveyor system which enables pipes to be continuously blasted to the required profile and standard as specified by the client.

Various sizes of steel shots and grits are utilized to produce the profile required.

PRE-HEATING
Prior to blasting, the pipe is pre-heated to 30 degrees C on the in-going helix conveyor. As the blasting operation takes only 2 to 8 minutes (depending on pipe size and level of corrosion), both the blasting and coating operations are not affected by high humidity or rain.

DUST COLLECTING SYSTEM
Incorporated in the wheelabrator shot-grit blasting machine is a dust collecting system constructed in accordance to worldwide environmental standards. Our blasting operation is totally DUST FREE and environmentally friendly in compliance with international anti-pollution standards.

SK-323	100% Solid Epoxy Coating (Rated to 90 degrees C wet /120 degrees C Dry)
SP-2888	100% Solid Epoxy Coating (Rated to 80 degrees C)
SP-8888	100% Solid Epoxy Coating (Rated to 150 degrees C)
Synergy Coating	Hot applied HDPE Coating
Ceram *Kote 54	Self-Priming Flexible Ceramic Coating
Cold Applied Tape Coating	Pipeline Coating and Field Joints Coating
Powercrete Coating	Epoxy Polymer Concrete Coating
External Concrete Coating	140lb density, 175lb density, 190lb density
Internal Cement Lining

Profound Innovations has a Quality Control system of a very high standard which coincides with clients’ and suppliers recommendations.

All required testings will be conducted in the presence of clients’ representatives and a full production and operations report will be submitted on a daily basis.

A complete range of Quality Control testing equipment is provided by Profound Innovations.

1. Elcometer 138 Bresle Salt Test Kit
2. Elcometer 134 C-S-N Test Kit
3. Elcometer 134-A Chloride Test Kit
4. Pictorial Blasting Standards
5. Profile Comparator for Shot/Grit
6. Profile Comparator for Sand
7. Digital Profile Gauge
8. Whirling Hygrometer
9 . Elcometer Electronic Dew Meter
10. Elcometer Digital Paint DFT Gauge
11. 211 Banana Thickness Gauge
12. RAYTEK Non-Contact Thermometer
13. Micro-Test Thickness Gauge (Auto)
14. Micro-Test Thickness Gauge (Manual)
15. Elcometer 108 Dolly Test (Jan 2006)
16. Hardness Tester TH-132
17. SPY Holiday Detector Model 715
18. SPY Holiday Detector Model 735
19. SPY Pocket Jeep Meter
20. SPY Crest Meter