Evaluation and Performance of Chemical Surface Treatments for Maintenance

In the preparation of surfaces prior to coating, it has long been established that abrasive blasting is the most effective method for attaining a clean surface and provide an anchor profile. However, in maintenance environments abrasive blasting may be prohibited. This is due to containment and disposal of the used abrasive, damage that may be caused to equipment, accessibility, health and safety concerns and also the cost of plant downtime. In these situations mechanical and manual methods are generally used. These tend to give poor surfaces and can be labor intensive, expensive and can require plant downtime to prevent ignition hazards and will generally not give good long term performance.
In these maintenance situations a solution has been found; water based biodegradable rust remover (according to ISO 10707:1994). This product allows a relatively inexpensive method of significantly improving the quality of the surface of the steel. This in turn improves the adhesion of the coating to the steel and subsequently the coating performance. This product means extended lifetime of the coating systems and also a reduction in plant downtime and maintenance costs.