Recently, a large Petrochemical Plant in Slovakia faced a critical issue: a large furnace suffering from corrosion damage. SLOVCEM, Belzona’s authorised distributor for Slovakia, provided a solution by lining the furnace with Belzona 1593 for long-term corrosion protection.
Corrosion Challenges in Large Furnace:
Within the Petrochemical industry, maximising efficiency and ensuring equipment longevity are paramount, but at this plant, corrosion within a large furnace was threatening both.
The ceramic fibre material currently being used as an insulating furnace lining was at risk of damage from the steel spikes protruding through the furnace’s internal surface. During cooling, acidic formation on these spikes led to rapid corrosion, causing insulation deterioration and reduced furnace efficiency.
The Customer, a prominent petrochemical manufacturer specialised in producing gasoline, diesel, polypropylene, and polyethylene, sought an anti-corrosion coating to address this pressing challenge.
Why Was Belzona’s Furnace Lining Chosen?
Belzona 1593 emerged as the preferred furnace lining due to its exceptional performance and suitability to the furnace’s operational conditions. Furthermore, the downtime on this furnace was costing the site millions of euros a day, so reducing the maintenance window to 48 hours was exceptionally important.
This heat-resistant epoxy offers superior protection against chemicals, addressing the specific challenges posed by the acidic environment of the petrochemical furnace. The VOC-free formulation of Belzona 1593 ensured safe application within confined spaces, aligning perfectly with the project’s requirements. Additionally, this high-temperature epoxy coating performs reliably even in harsh conditions, which was crucial as the furnace has a wet operating temperature of 160°C (320°F).
How Was the Furnace Lining Applied?
The large 470 m² (5059 ft²) space needed coating within a maximum of 48 hours, so meticulous planning was required.SLOVCEM, had a team of 27 workers, including support from STROJCONSULT Litvínov s.r.o, Belzona’s Czech distributor to complete the task. To maximise efficiency in the confined space, the team worked across eight scaffolded floors in ten-hour shifts, to ensure all stages from surface preparation to coating inspection were completed within the stringent timeframe. In the end, in just two days over 1000 kg (2205 lbs)of Belzona 1593 was applied in two coats. This two-coat system ensures a durable high temperature furnace lining, and its rapid cure time allowed for a fast return to service.
Success With High-Performance Coating:
With the furnace lining applied within the timeframe, no further downtime was needed, saving the Customer millions of euros. This application was therefore highly successful as Belzona was able to provide much needed corrosion protection.
As a result, the Customer has requested the lining of additional furnaces and future projects are already in the pipeline. The Distributor has already carried out additional applications on the site with Belzona 1593, and has been specified for another application which will take place at the site this year.
About SLOVCEM:
SLOVCEM, spol. Ltd have been the exclusive, authorised distributor of Belzona products in Slovakia for over 25 years. Specialising in providing comprehensive solutions, their team of trained applicators excels in repairing and protecting assets. Through skilful application of specialised coatings, SLOVCEM effectively solves issues such as corrosion, erosion, abrasion, cavitation, and chemical attack.
To learn more about SLOVCEM, please visit their website here.
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Content Creator, Belzona Inc., Harrogate, UK.
Responsible for writing a range of content including blog posts, press releases and a range of marketing material.
