COPPER CONCENTRATE STORAGE TANK | TUFFLON P90 | CASE STUDY
COPPER CONCENTRATE STORAGE TANK
Abrasion Resistant Coating
Date of Project
November 2021
Substrate Material
Steel with 6mm Rubber Coating
Type of Asset
Concentrate Storage Tank
Protective coatings are a simple yet effective way to prevent the corrosion of steel from proceeding by removing oxygen from the steel surface and preventing the oxidation of the steel. If steel isn't protected, the abrasive materials in the cargo will cause wear, resulting in metal loss that can cause structural damage to significant steel assets. The common solution is to apply an abrasive-resistant polyurea at high dry film thickness, which protects the steel from corrosion and wear in high abrasive processes.
This case study is about applying a pure polyurea, Tufflon P90, to the steel in the storage tank. Tufflon P90 is a smooth and seamless abrasion-resistant protective coating that sets in seconds, allowing a rapid return to service. Tufflon P90 protects cargo from abrasion and also protects the steel walls from chemical attacks coming from the cargo. Tufflon P90 is permanently elastomeric, meaning it will stretch with the movement of the slurry and return to its original form. Tufflon P90 will provide a strong abrasion and chemical-resistant lining for the steel components, with the service conditions of an abrasive environment and the corrosive nature of the chemicals in the storage tank.
The issue being resolved was to increase the service life of the storage tank, which had previously been subject to high wear by the abrasive slurry. The production nature of this process required that the surface finish of the internal tank surface be of an extremely high standard to ensure lasting quality. Therefore, Tufflon P90, a spray polyurea elastomer with a hardness of 90 Shore A, was applied for sealing and protecting the asset.
With an expected service life of 5 years, the solution worked efficiently and effectively and is still performing at a high-quality level. The general recommendations for future projects are to use Tufflon P90's high build and abrasion-resistant characteristics to protect steel assets in the mining industry. The ease of application and speed at which polyurea can be built to exceptionally high DFT makes Tufflon P90 uniquely positioned to solve maintenance problems related to the protection of steel involved in highly abrasive mining processes.
