Painting & Coating Industry (PCI) logo Powder coating summit logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Painting & Coating Industry (PCI) logo Powder coating summit logo
  • NEWS
    • Latest News
    • Market Trends & Reports
    • Price Alerts
    • Subscribe to eNewsletters
    • Global Top 10/ PCI 25
    • Weekly Featured Article
    • COATLE Word Game
  • PRODUCTS
    • Product News
    • Must See Products and Services
  • MATERIALS
    • Additives
    • Resins/Polymers
    • Pigments
    • Equipment
    • Distributors
  • TECHNOLOGIES
    • Adhesives
    • Architectural Coatings
    • Industrial Coatings
    • Nanotechnology
    • Powder Coatings
    • Solventborne
    • Special Purpose Coatings
    • Sustainability
    • UV Coatings
    • Waterborne
    • FINISHING
      • Finishing News
      • Finishing Technologies
      • Finishing Equipment
    • RESOURCES
      • Columns
        • Ask Joe Powder
        • Did you know?
        • Distribution Dive
        • Focus on Canada
        • Formulating With Mike
        • Innovation Insights
        • Moody's Coatings Conundrums
        • Powder Coating Perspectives
        • Target the Market
        • TiO2 Insider
      • Blogs
        • Editor's Viewpoint
        • Industry Insights
      • Coatings Supplier Handbook
      • Podcasts and Videos
        • COAT-IT! Podcast
        • Videos/PCI TV
      • PCI Store
      • eBooks
      • Sponsor Insights
      • White Papers
      • COATLE Word Game
    • EVENTS
      • Coatings Trends & Technologies Summit
      • Paint and Coatings Academy
      • Webinars
      • Calendar of Events
      • Lifetime Achievement Award
    • DIRECTORIES
      • Buyer's Guide
      • Equipment Directory
      • Materials Directory
    • EMAGAZINE
      • Current Issue
      • eMagazine Archive
      • China Issue Archive
      • Editorial Advisory Board
    • CONTACT
      • Contact Us
      • Advertise
      • Subscribe to eMagazine
      • Subscribe to eNewsletters
    FT Archives

    Moisture-Cured Polyurethane: A Cool Coating for Cold Pipes

    January 1, 2008
    It’s common knowledge that polyurethane coating technology is an excellent choice for demanding exterior applications such as bridges, stadiums and other large structures. But when maintenance was required inside the Hammond Water Filtration Plant in Hammond, IN, a moisture-cured polyurethane system proved to be the only way to go to coat more than 35,000 ft2 of piping and valves.

    The moisture-cured urethane system compensated for some of the on-site problems because it could be applied if the pipes were damp and could handle some flash rusting.


    It’s common knowledge that polyurethane coating technology is an excellent choice for demanding exterior applications such as bridges, stadiums and other large structures. But when maintenance was required inside the Hammond Water Filtration Plant in Hammond, IN, a moisture-cured polyurethane system proved to be the only way to go to coat more than 35,000 ft2 of piping and valves.

    The plant, which was built in 1936 and renovated in 1950 and 1970, posed numerous repainting challenges. Some of the pipes had never been coated, producing major corrosion problems. There were no records for the surfaces that had been coated, but it was likely that lead was present. Naturally, it was imperative to remove the rust and any lead-based paint before any recoating took place. In addition, conditions inside the plant were highly unusual. Cold water being piped into the plant caused significant condensation, making coating extremely difficult. There was no chance of shutting down or taking any of the pipes out of service since the plant filtered 70 million gallons of water per day.

    In October 2004, Hammond called upon Dixon Engineering of Lake Odessa, MI, to evaluate the project and make recommendations. According to Dixon Vice President Ira Gabin, “Performance and aesthetics were the major considerations - the plant wanted the job to last and look good 15 to 20 years from now. It was a huge project, and it was going to take a really experienced coatings contractor. The crew would be limited to working in winter months when pipe sweating is minimal. In late spring and summer, you’d get huge differentials in water temperature, and it would be like walking through a waterfall in there.”

    Some of the pipes in the Hammond plant had never been coated, producing major corrosion problems.

    A Complex Project

    Dixon Engineering specified a moisture-cured urethane (MCU) system formulated from raw materials manufactured by Bayer MaterialScience LLC. They called on Sherwin-Williams, who agreed to deliver the paint within a week’s time. The Sherwin-Williams system consisted of two different Corothane primers to be used on two different types of pipes, plus an intermediate coat of Corothane I IronOx B, and a Corothane I aliphatic topcoat. Given the conditions inside the plant, Gabin noted that “the MCU system opened a bigger painting window for us.”

    Specifications were sent to 17 paint contractors, and 14 came to the site for a mandatory pre-bid walk-through. Everyone needed to know the extent of the project - and the complications they would be facing. Eight companies submitted a bid. In January 2005, Era Valdivia from Chicago was awarded the job. According to Project Manager Greg Bairaktaris, “We walked this plant twice just to make sure we were comfortable with the logistical challenges. The bottom line was going to be proper planning and execution.”

    Work was scheduled to be completed in two phases, so that the painting contractor could work in the cooler months. Era Valdivia began Phase I in March 2005. Access to certain areas was difficult, to say the least. There were only two entrances to the plant, and work needed to be done upstairs and downstairs. The painting crew had to stage their hoses and other equipment carefully around the plant staff’s work area. Plant Superintendent Gary Williams admits he was nervous about protecting valves, controls and other vulnerable equipment. If any parts were damaged, he would have operations problems - and a major expense.

    Greg Bairaktaris notes that the surface preparation was particularly challenging. Dehumidification was necessary to remove condensation from the pipes in order to hold the blast. If dehumidification was not used, flash rusting would have occurred.

    The substrate was mostly steel, which needed to be blasted to SP10 specification before it was coated with Corothane I GalvaPak. Cast iron pipes were prepped to SP6, then coated with Corothane I MIO Zinc. The moisture-cured urethane system actually compensated for some of the on-site problems because it could be applied if the pipes were damp and could handle some flash rusting.

    “It was hard to get the surface clean enough and moisture-free,” says Bairaktaris. “You couldn’t get that cast iron to near-white. But the moisture-cured system solves problems on the engineering side, as well as on the application side.”

    Once the primer was applied, the Corothane intermediate and topcoats followed. Since all the pipes needed to be color-coded, the topcoats were made with six different pigments. And because the Corothane I aliphatic topcoat emitted a low level of volatile organic compounds (3.5), the plant could remain in operation even during the final stages of the maintenance project.

    “It was a difficult application,” says Bairaktaris. “We needed to use a combination of brush, roller and spraying techniques. We’d spray the piping system first, then cut around it for the color-coded piping. It wasn’t a straightforward job.”

    On Time and On Target

    Era Valdivia completed one room at a time during Phase I, before tackling Phase II in January 2006. Both phases were completed on time, with minimal disruption to normal plant operations and with minimal damage to vulnerable equipment. In all, the project spanned two years and required 900 gallons of coating.

    “We’re very happy with the way it turned out,” commented Hammond’s Gary Williams.

    “This was the only project of this scope that we had done with MCUs,” says Ira Gabin of Dixon. “But in an environment like this, I would spec this MCU system again without concern.”


    For more information contact:
    • The Sherwin-Williams Co., 800.524.5979, www2.sherwin-williams.com.
    • Bayer MaterialScience, 800.662.2927, www.bayermaterialsciencenafta.com.
    • Dixon Engineering, 616.374.3221, www.dixonengineering.net.
    • Era Valdivia Contractors Inc., 773.721.9350.
    • Hammond Water Filtration Plant, 219.853.6439, www.gohammond.com.

    Share This Story

    Looking for a reprint of this article?
    From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

    Recommended Content

    JOIN TODAY
    to unlock your recommendations.

    Already have an account? Sign In

    • PCI-0724-Global10-Feature-1440.png

      2024 Global Top 10: Top Paint and Coatings Companies

      Who ranks on top? PCI’s annual ranking of the top 10...
      Paint and Coating Market Reports
      By: Courtney Bassett
    • PCI-0724-PCI25-Feature-1440.png

      2024 PCI 25: Top Paint and Coatings Companies

      PCI's annual ranking of the top 25 North American paint...
      Paint and Coating Market Reports
      By: Courtney Bassett
    • pci1022-Kinaltek-Lead-1170.jpg

      A Novel Pigment Production Technology

      Following an extensive R&D program that demonstrated...
      Paint and Coating Pigments
      By: Jawad Haidar and Nitin Soni
    You must login or register in order to post a comment.

    Report Abusive Comment

    Subscribe For Free!
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Online Registration
    • Subscription Customer Service

    More Videos

    Sponsored Content

    Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the PCI audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of PCI or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

    close
    • paint sprayer in a workshop
      Sponsored byallnex

      Enabling Performance and Compliance: allnex Introduces a New Line of VOC Exempt Solvent-Borne Resins

    • various shades of orange pigments and colorants
      Sponsored byVibrantz Technologies

      Solid Colorant Technology Paves the Way for a Sustainable, High-Performance Future in Coatings

    Popular Stories

    A collage of products using non-PFAS

    A Surge in Non-PFAS Releases

    Default Aerospace Image

    PPG Plans Major Aerospace Facility

    US tariff on British product import trade war cargo shipping container

    Tariffs Reshape Coatings Supply Strategies



    PCI Buyers Guide

    Submit a Request for Proposal (RFP) to suppliers of your choice with details on what you need with a click of a button

    Start your RFP

    Browse our Buyers Guide for manufacturers and distributors of all types of coatings products and much more!

    Find Suppliers

    Events

    January 1, 2030

    Webinar Sponsorship Information

    For webinar sponsorship information, visit www.bnpevents.com/webinars or email webinars@bnpmedia.com.

    View All Submit An Event

    Poll

    Longest-running laboratory experiment

    What is the longest-running laboratory experiment?
    View Results Poll Archive

    Products

    Automotive Paints and Coatings, 2nd Edition

    Automotive Paints and Coatings, 2nd Edition

    Now in its second edition and still the only book of its kind, this is an authoritative treatment of all stages of the coating process.

    See More Products
    pci  webinar april 2025

    PCI CASE EBOOK

    Related Articles

    • Continuous Coating Qualifies for Cool Planet Project - Posted 3/5/08

      See More
    • Thermal Profiling: Is My Coating Really Cured?

      See More
    • AN FT ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: A Cool Coat of Many Colors

      See More
    ×

    Keep the info flowing with our eNewsletters!

    Get the latest industry updates tailored your way.

    JOIN TODAY!
    • RESOURCES
      • Advertise
      • Contact Us
      • Directories
      • Store
      • Want More
    • SIGN UP TODAY
      • Create Account
      • eMagazine
      • eNewsletters
      • Customer Service
      • Manage Preferences
    • SERVICES
      • Marketing Services
      • Reprints
      • Market Research
      • List Rental
      • Survey & Sample
    • STAY CONNECTED
      • LinkedIn
      • Facebook
      • Youtube
      • X (Twitter)
    • PRIVACY
      • PRIVACY POLICY
      • TERMS & CONDITIONS
      • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
      • PRIVACY REQUEST
      • ACCESSIBILITY

    Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

    Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing