To do these tests, the engineers had to be able to access the substrate without removing all the coating - not always easy to achieve. However, with Enviropeel it's as easy as ABC. All you have to do is slice off a portion of the coating, examine the substrate and, when you're finished, replace the removed section and reseal it with a heat gun. The newly intact coating will perform as though nothing has happened - and you can do it again and again (if you need to!).
In this case, it was for a test - but the ability to examine a section of a protected substrate is a game changer for engineers who need to check bolt tension, for example, or any other aspect of a structure that might otherwise be hidden away. And repairs are easy ... Enviropeel is so adaptable.
Enviropeel-Treated Flange Weathers Hurricane Harvey Flooding with Ease
Despite floods, storms and Hurricane Harvey, bare metal substrates protected with Enviropeel remain completely free of corrosion and previously corroded areas can be wiped clean of rust.
More proof of how good Enviropeel is at corrosion prevention has recently come from our Texas and Louisiana distributors, Corrosion Coatings Systems.
They tested Enviropeel at an access well located on a Colonial Pipeline site in Orange, Texas bounded by petrochemical plants and brackish waters which periodically submerge the substrates during large storms and hurricanes. The application was completed in October 2016 and followed by a series of inspections at 3-months, 8-months and 21-months post-application. During this period Hurricane Harvey caused the entire area from Beaumont to Houston to be flooded, submerging one of the test flanges.
Two areas were coated, a 36″ blind flange and a 12″ blind flange in a soil-to-air interface. Prior to application, on the larger flange, an area of the flange and an adjacent nut surface were abraded to reveal the bare steel beneath the coating. As both test pieces were already suffering from corrosion prior to the application, these areas were cleaned of all previous coating and rust to highlight the effectiveness of the rust protection.
The application was over the entire flange but the test area was examined by cutting away a small area of the coating, testing for any signs of corrosion and then replacing the removed material, resealing it into the coating using a standard electric heat gun.
Despite floods, storms and hurricanes, the bare metal substrate remained completely free of corrosion and previously corroded areas can be wiped clean of rust – the substrate looks better after 21 months than it did before application!
The Flooded 12" Flange
As you can see from the first pic the 12" flange was extensively corroded before application. At each test interval, the cutaway area was completely free of any additional rust. The final cutaway after nearly two years and total submersion shows that, despite the muddy deposits on the outside, the flange face and bolt are cleaner than at the start of the test.
NEWS & INFORMATION
For the test, a section of the coating was abraded to reveal the bare steel
After three months, a section of the coating was cut away to reveal the substrate
After examining the rust-free substrate the coating was replaced
Despite the dirt from floods and hurricanes, the substrate can still be resealed
The final reveal shows the bare steel substrate has no signs of corrosion
The pictures above show: a) the 36" flange prior to application with a section of original coating abraded away, b) the coated flange and c) the clean, uncorroded substrate at the end of the test.
More amazing things about Enviropeel ...