CASE HISTORY SPOTLIGHT: Case History #618: Corrosion Protection of Guy-Wire Clamps

A corrosive environment of strong wind and blowing sand near the ocean led to corrosion on guy-wire clamps anchoring a cell tower in Brazil. The solution was to brush off loose rust, clean the clamps with VpCI®-418, and coat them with VpCI®-368, a wax-like, removable coating. This will be an important step to mitigate future corrosion in such a severe environment and thus prolong the service life of the critical components that keep the cell tower standing safely.

Keywords: corrosion protection, cell tower protection, removable coatings, prolong service life, rusty guy wire clamps, corrosive environments, Cortec, VpCI, Cortec coatings, cell tower corrosion

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A Quick Look at Three Popular Anticorrosion Coatings for Mothballing and Layup

Cortec® removable coatings have been used time and time again for mothballing and offshore layup projects around the globe. They meet an important need for interim protection of metal surfaces where other VpCI® Technologies may not be as well suited. Some of the common uses are as follows.

Moving Parts
Parts that move and/or require lubrication, such as rotating or reciprocating equipment, can be protected with VpCI®-369, VpCI®-369 D (diluted), or its popular aerosol counterpart, CorShield® VpCI®-369. This leaves behind a wet film corrosion inhibitor on the metal surface.

Static Equipment
VpCI®-368 is often used to apply a wax-like protective coating over static/stationary surfaces (painted or unpainted) of metal equipment around the layup site. It can be applied full strength (VpCI®-368), as a diluted version (VpCI®-368D), or in aerosol form (CorShield® VpCI®-368).

Structural Steel
VpCI®-391 is a popular water-based coating for general protection of structural steel around the layup site. For example, it can be sprayed right over painted handrails and structural steel on offshore platforms for an extra layer of protection in harsh environments.

When layup is over, all three coatings can be removed with an alkaline cleaner such as VpCI®-414. However, sometimes, as in the case of VpCI®-391, this is not even necessary! Contact us to learn more about selecting the best removable coatings for your layup project:
https://www.corteccoatings.com/contact-us-2/

Keywords: anticorrosion coatings, removable protective coatings, mothballing, equipment layup, corrosion protection, corrosion control, offshore layup, Cortec, VpCI

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PRESS RELEASE: VpCI®-368: A Go-to Removable Coating for Heavy-Duty Corrosion Protection

Since the early days of Cortec®, VpCI®-368 has been a removable coating standby for reliable corrosion protection of metals. Today, VpCI®– 368 continues to have widespread use in a variety of applications around the globe. The beauty of VpCI®-368 is that it can be used for temporary or long-term protection in countless situations and harsh conditions with the option for removal at the end of the preservation period.

Heavy-Duty Removable Corrosion Protection
VpCI®-368 is a fast drying, solvent-based temporary coating that leaves a wax-like film of 2-3 mils (50-75 µm) DFT (dry film thickness) on metal surfaces. It provides corrosion protection on multiple metal types and can be applied over painted or unpainted surfaces. VpCI®-368 shows exceptional salt spray testing performance and provides protection in harsh, outdoor, unsheltered applications. When the coating is no longer needed, it can be easily removed by power washing with an alkaline cleaner such as VpCI®-414.

A Protective Coating for Countless Applications
VpCI®-368 is ideal for three main stages of a metal component’s life-cycle:

  • Layup
  • Transit
  • Storage

An extremely common use of VpCI®-368 (particularly in its ready-to-spray aerosol version, CorShield® VpCI®-368) is for protection of equipment surfaces during layup. It is also used for transit—often in conjunction with an integrated packaging solution—to prepare equipment for cross-country or export shipment. Finally, it is an excellent solution for outdoor storage of parts that will be exposed to the elements with no VpCI® Film to cover it. In some cases, it has even been applied for longterm protection of permanent outdoor metal structural components, with no coating removal intended.

A Decades-Long History of Application
There are many stories of how VpCI®-368 or its accompanying versions have been used over the last four decades. Here are just some examples:

  • Protection of sensitive wind turbine components as part of a pre-shipment packaging system (VpCI®-368D, with VpCI®-414 sent along for coating
    removal convenience)
  • Protection of LNG propeller fins stored outdoor
  • Protection of unpainted static external surfaces of a new four-motor compressor skid destined for shipping and up to two years of outdoor storage in harsh Middle East weather conditions (part of an integrated packaging solution)
  • Protection of corrosion-prone wind tower base bolts in Brazil coastal region
  • Protection of flange faces on FPSO offloading system prior to covering

Join the Ranks of VpCI®-368 Users
VpCI®-368 has been chosen for reliable protection by multiple users in  some of the harshest conditions across the globe. It combines durability with the option of coating removal for the convenience of choosing between temporary protection or ongoing preservation. Contact us for more information and to join the ranks of VpCI®-368 users: https://www.corteccoatings.com/contact-us-2/

Keywords: removable protective coatings, anticorrosion coatings, corrosion protection, corrosion control, Cortec, VpCI, transit coatings, layup coatings, outdoor storage solutions, offshore layup

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