INITIAL CONDITIONS:

• The black control steel test plate, on the left side of figure 1, was coated with a typical anti-corrosion coating used by the shrimp farm owner at the pumping station equipment.
• The white steel test plate on the right hand side is coated with Warren Epoxy.
• The objective of the test was to check after 3 months of total immersion (about 2 ft in depth) at the shrimp farm seawater supply channels, the condition of the coatings after barnacles fouling attack.

FINAL CONDITIONS AFTER 3 MONTHS OF BARNACLES FOULING RESISTANCE TESTING:

• The control plate coating did not survive the barnacles fouling attack. it presented symptoms of an apparent coating breakdown by mechanism of osmotic blistering and disbondment (a.k.a. osmotic gradient action), and corrosion.
• As noted in figures 2 and 3 below, our steel plate coated with the Warren Epoxy easily survived the 3 months of barnacle fouling resistance testing.
• Once removed from the seawater (shrimp farm) supply channel, the white plate was hydrowashed with 3,000 psi water. The barnacles easily disbonded from the coating.
• The Warren Epoxy coated plate was found to be in very good structural condition. the steel plate had no signs of corrosion or coating failure.
• This test was considered a very successful because it shows the resilience and armor type protection provided by our outstanding the warren epoxy coating against a severe barnacles attack.
• The subject test results supports the long term life expectancy of the structural repair made in concrete pile foundation’s tidal zone region (Ref. Proj. #13). Furthermore, it is important to note that our Warren Epoxy alone can easily protect the pile foundations tidal zone areas from erosion and corrosion. It is assumed that structural capacity repair of the subject pile area is not required.

INITIAL CONDITIONS:

The Anheuser Busch Carterville facility is one of the largest of its kind and one of the most advanced in north America. It has its own wastewater pre-treatment plant that has been operating since 1993, handling brewery process wastewater as well as local municipal flows. Typical treatment capacity is 2.5 to 3 mgd (i.e. Millions of gallons per day). The plant never had a permit violation. This Anheuser Busch brewery is located in Cartersville, Georgia, USA.

The plant included digester facilities and equalization basins frequently exposed to the toxic, flammable, and highly corrosive H2S (hydrogen sulfide gas) in the operating range of 500 and 2000 ppm. Because of the severe amount of H2S in these processess areas, significant corrosion quickly started to destroy the structural integrity of the concrete and created leakage problems. The initial corrosion prevention product applied when the structure was built, failed shortly after installation. In 1998, and after approximately five years of extensive research and coatings evaluations, Anheuser Busch decided to apply Warren Epoxy.

Due to the outstanding corrosion and structural integrity protection provided by the Warren Epoxy coating at the subject facility, this product has since been applied to other Anheuser Busch Wastewater plants and facilities nationwide.

In 2013, the prestigious World Class Engineering Magazine “ENR News-Record” featured the cutting edge emergency and fast track rehabilitation of a badly corroded and structurally deteriorated 3 Million Gallons Portable Water Tank in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. The Design-Build approach, and our technologically advanced Warren Epoxy and Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) system, were the most cost effective and durable solution for rehabilitating the deteriorated tank in a very short maintenance outage window, for a quick return to operational service. Our military grade Warren Epoxy is certified by the US Navy and the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS). It is also certified NSF-61 by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF).

Quick Facts About the Historical & Successful Rehabilitation Project (but not limiting to):

1. Forty Nine (49) Years Old Potable Water Tank.
2. Three (3) Million Gallons Capacity (11,356,235 Liters).
3. Tank Height 32 Feet (9,75 Meters).
4. Floor Diameter: 128.5 Feet (39.2 Meters)
5. Floor area: 13,000 Square Feet (1,208 Square Meters).
6. Carbon Steel Tank Floor was rotten.
7. The Warren Epoxy Coating & FRP System Installation was about 20 times faster than the traditional Steel replacement (i.e. 5 Days Vs. 100 Days), and cheaper.
8. Applied Two Layers of Bi-Directional Composite Laminates. They covered a Total Area of about 26,000 Square Feet (2,416 Square Meters).
9. Composite Thickness of Flooring System was about ¼” (6.4 millimeters) thick.
10. First Potable Water Rehabilitation Project of its kind in the USA.
11. As of today, this tank is in excellent condition. Expected Useful Life is 50 Years.

The sewage reservoir was in semi deteriorated condition and with many leaking cracks and crevices. These latter contributed to active leaks (infiltration and exfiltration) that significantly contaminated nearby lakes and rivers.

PRODUCT APPLICATION

The surface preparation started with a high pressure wash with chemical solutions for initial removal of impurities; it was then rinsed with muriatic acid. A subsequent hydro-wash was performed with a mixed solution of chlorine and potable water for final rinse. Once the substrate surface was determined to be clean, all cracks were repaired using the Warren Epoxy product for manual application method with trowels. It should be noted other than the localized cracks, the substrate was generally in semi-deteriorated condition and able to receive the coating without the need for a sandblasting because the concrete substrate did have the required surface profile and tensile strength. All localized required structural repairs were carried out as planned, as well as the quality assurance inspections and tests, and with no safety issues. The Warren Epoxy was sprayed and the coating thickness was 1/8 “(3 millimeters).

CONCLUSION

Because the Warren Epoxy is a single coat application and a fast cure of less than 2 hours, the project was performed and returned to service at the end of the same work day. MADERO’s execution of this turnkey Mission Critical Project was a total succes.

New York City’s Downtown Manhattan Heliport is located at Pier 6 in the East River in Manhattan, New York. As many marine facilities, the facility presents very adverse conditions to a successful coating of steel in the tidal zone. Strong water currents near the shore apply significant force to the sides of the structures in the river. The force of the water current, especially during rising tides, can easily remove newly applied coatings. Before the application of Warren Epoxy on October 3rd, 2002, several marine epoxies, which had been applied successfully in the past under more quiescent water conditions, lost adhesion when applied to cleaned areas on the barge.

PRODUCT APPLICATION:

The barge’s west side was blasted cleaned to a near white metal condi- tion (SSPC SP 10 Warren Epoxy coating was applied with plural compo- nent spray equipment. The coating was applied from MHW (mean high water) to approximately 1 foot above MLW (mean low water).

CONCLUSION:

On June 10, 2003, an inspection by the owner (New York / New Jersey Port Authority) revealed that the Warren Epoxy coating was in very good condition, hard and intact with no loss of adhesion. No rusting was evident. The approximate coat thickness range of 20 – 30 mils was obtained, agreed with the original average thickness range of about 24 mils.

In July 2005, Warren Epoxy was applied to provide Corrosion Protection Rehabilitation to a Third Deck wing wall Ballast Tank. The tank’s inboard bulkhead was the well deck wing wall and the outboard bulkhead was the hull. The tank is located below the Ship’s laundry. There are ballast tanks located below the tank (5-121-1-W and 5-125-1-W). The tank is filled by the ship’s Salt Water Fire Main System and empties by way of a ballast valve.

Warren Epoxy is considered by the US Navy to be a Rapid Cure Single Coat Qualified Product. It has successfully passed the US Navy’s laboratory qualification process and shipboard in-service performance requirements in accordance with military specification MIL-PRF-23236, titled “Performance Specification, Coating Systems for Ship Structures”.

Furthermore, Warren Epoxy is also a Certified Coating Product by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) for application in their ABS approved Ships and Facilities.

PRODUCT APPLICATION:

The coating and surface preparation work took place during a scheduled maintenance and repair availability, also known as a Docked Phased Maintenance Availability (DPMA) at US Navy’s Norfolk, Virginia ship repair yard.

Requirements for the surface preparation work item were in accordance with the appropriate seawater ballast tank and potable water tank preservation requirements of the CORE PPI (rev 16) and NAVSEA Standard Item 009-32.

These requirements included:

• Initial cleaning and pressure wash to remove loose contaminants.
• Dehumidification was maintained throughout the surface preparation and coating application activities.
• Abrasive blasting for the establishment of a sharp angle surface profile, old coating and rust removal, was performed in accordance with Steel Structures Painting Council (SSPC) SP-10, Near White Metal.
• Ensured that conductivity levels were below 30 microSiemens/cm2.
• Removal of Chloride contamination.

After the surface preparation activity was completed, the Warren Epoxy coating was applied with plural component spray equipment; some localized areas were touched-up and stripe coated with brush and roller. All QA/QC inspections and testing were performed during the entire surface preparation and coating application activities.

CONCLUSIONS:

Warren Epoxy met the US Navy’s stringent requirement of a durable, technologically advanced and proven solvent free 100% solid epoxy for improved materials and process aimed at reducing maintenance and operating costs, repairs down time, and extending useful service life.

Furthermore, Warren Epoxy coating was inspected in March 2013 and after 7.5 years of service, it was found to be in Excellent Condition! and on-track for an expected long term service life.

Clarifiers are settling tanks built with mechanical means for continuous removal of solids being deposited by sedimentation. A clarifier is generally used to remove solid particulates or suspended solids from liquid for clarification and (or) thickening.

An extremely rusted water clarifier owned by the town of Bethlehem, New York, USA, was rehabilitated without metal replacement using Warren Epoxy coating, saving the town a considerable amount of money as stated by the chief water treatment plant operator. The tank was built in the mid 1970’s. The tank was 50 feet (15 meters) in diameter and 14 feet (4.2 meters) in height.

The town of Bethlehem considered three rehabilitation options. One strategy was to require the total replacement of the clarifier with a stainless structure. Another option was to involve painting the clarifier with a conventional coating but would require extensive steel replacement and the installation of a new cathodic system. The third option consisted of using Warren Epoxy coating to rehabilitate the structural integrity of the steel and provide corrosion protection. The town chose the third option because it did not require steel replacement and the installation of a cathodic protection system.

The Bethlehem Clarifier Tank was successfully rehabilitated with Warren Epoxy on November 3rd, 2001.

As of December 29th, 2017, and according to the chief water treatment plant operator, the coating job is still in excellent condition after 16 years of outstanding operational service !! .. And the expected useful life is over 50 years !!

• Bunker type superstructure for storing critical emergency equipment for manually shutting down the nuclear reactor during a seismic or flood beyond design basis event.
• The structure must be capable to withstand a 360 mph tornado wind, and missiles impact.
• All existing reinforced concrete walls are 24” thick except for one that it is 18” thick.
• The objective of this critical mission was to increase the structural capacity of the 18” wall in order to be able to withstand the loads generated by the 360 mph tornado winds and missile impact.

PROPOSED SOLUTION:

Reinforced 18” thick concrete wall, bending structural strength capability increased with FRP (i.e. Epoxy & Carbon Fiber).

INPUT SUMMARY & REQUIREMENTS:

1. Concrete compressive strength = 3 ksi
2. Density of reinforced concrete = 150 lb/FT
3. Rebar yield strength = 60 ksi
4. Tornado wind load = 360 mph
5. Required to withstand horizontal missile 1: 4” x 12” x 12’ wood plank Missile speed = 300 mph  Missile weight = 180 lb
6. Required to withstand horizontal missile 2: automobile Missile speed = 17 mph Missile weight = 4,000 lbs
7. 18” thick wall’s original bending capacity = 164 kip-in/ft
8. The demand bending moment is 540 kip-in/ft for horizontal axis, and 409 kip-in/ft for vertical axis. Final FRP solution (i.e. Epoxy and Carbon Fiber composite system):

FINAL FRP SOLUTION (I.E. EPOXY AND CARBON FIBER COMPOSITE SYSTEM):

9. 18” new design bending capacity = 724 kip-in/ft about the vert & hor directions, after FRP composite system is applied at the wall’s inside face.
10. 18” core wall only required two (2) bi-directional plies of frp composite system to increase the bending capacity to 724 kip-in/ft. Each ply was 0.05” thick.
11. Total unit weight of two bi-directional plies = 2.5 lb/yard . Thus, total composite weight is negligible.

CONCLUSION:

This is an example of an excellent cost-effective technical solution project for increasing the structural capacity of a wall using advanced engineered FRP composite systems. The useful life of this composite application will outlast the remaining useful life of the facility of 25 years.

The reservoir had extensive structural deterioration with multiple active leaks through holes and cracks in the floor and walls, porous concrete, as well as corroded reinforcing steel and steel pipe. Several deteriorated areas had been superficially and improperly repaired with several layers of cement and / or epoxy paint. Extensive surface preparation was performed on all reservoir surfaces (floor, walls, ceiling) where Warren Epoxy was applied. Condition assessment engineering inspections determined that the deteriorated reinforced concrete walls and floors contributed to structural problems, infiltration, exfiltration and water contamination.

PRODUCT APPLICATION

Surface preparation was done with wet sandblasting, supplemented with deep cleaning high pressure wash to decontaminate and rinse. The Epoxy Ultra+® was manually applied with trowels. The average coating thickness varied between 40 and 100 mils of an inch (1 mm and 2.50 mm), and up to several inches in some areas where extensive structural repair was performed.

CONCLUSION

Due to the outstanding characteristics and mechanical / structural properties of the Epoxy Ultra+®, MADERO performed the quality impermeabilization and structural repairs in a timely and cost effective manner, and no safety issues. The reservoir returned to service within the work schedule agreed with the client of one week. MADERO’s Texecution of this turnkey Mission Critical Project was a total success.

As part of emergent technical information, operating experience, structures / systems / components life extension activities, and de-regulation, Center Point Energy performed self-assessment for facing present and future challenges in order to stay competitive. Some of the activities that were addressed during the implementation of this project included applicability review of design codes requirements updates (e.g. ASCE Standard 7-02), age degradation detrimental effects (e.g. corrosion), changes in environmental conditions (e.g. new wind loads & patterns), reconciliation of equipment installation non-conformances, and operability reviews and determinations.
CenterPoint assigned MADERO with the development and implementation of a comprehensive structural assessment program for Transmission Towers at the subject substations.

Services Provided:
MADERO’s responsibilities include but were not limited to:
• Program Management, Engineering Consulting, Field Engineering, Inspections and Testing • Geotechnical Testing
• Developed Structural Assessment Corporate Program Plan, and implementing procedures for Field Inspections, Walkdown and Testing. • Stray Current Testing
• Performed comprehensive Engineering Calculation for assessing the degraded structural conditions of the towers, including recommended corrective actions and determination of structure operability. • Metallurgical Testing including determination of actual metal harness and material type.
• Generated comprehensive Root Cause Analysis Report including short and long term recommendations for controlling and monitoring degradations. • Chemical & Biological Testing for determining potential corrosion sources.