Insulator/corrosion protection coatings

The requirements, development and fabrication of electrical insulator and corrosion protection coatings for high-temperature alloys using thermal CVD coatings have been demonstrated. This chapter focuses on the requirements and applications of electrical... 

Traced pipe performs better with a nonwicking insulation which has low thermal conductivity. Underground systems are very difficult to keep dry permanently. Methods of insulation include factory-preinsulated pouring types and conventionally applied types. Corrosion can occur under wet insulation. A protective coating, applied directly to the metal surface, may be required. 

The modern procedure to minimise corrosion losses on underground structures is to use protective coatings between the metal and soil and to apply cathodic protection to the metal structure (see Chapter 11). In this situation, soils influence the operation in a somewhat different manner than is the case with unprotected bare metal. A soil with moderately high salts content (low resistivity) is desirable for the location of the anodes. If the impressed potential is from a sacrificial metal, the effective potential and current available will depend upon soil properties such as pH, soluble salts and moisture present. When rectifiers are used as the source of the cathodic potential, soils of low electrical resistance are desirable for the location of the anode beds. A protective coating free from holidays and of uniformly high insulation value causes the electrical conducting properties of the soil to become of less significance in relation to corrosion rates (Section 15.8). 

Chloride stress cracking corrosion was also a problem when austenitic stainless steels were covered with thermal insulation. The NACE Paper also discusses the protective coatings for stainless steels and provides sandblasting and coating application guides for stainless and carbon steels. 

A ballast tank filled with seawater is easily corroded. Corrosion protection by the paint on the metal surface inside the tank, which improves the insulation for the corrosion current, is conducted. The paint has problems with age-related degradation and incipient failure. To protect from the corrosion caused by these problems, plural sacrificial anodes are usually installed in the tank. When seawater is loaded in the tank, the surface of the inside tank becomes cathode and the protective potential works, because of the anode effects. The worse the coating condition becomes, the worse the insulation of the paint becomes and the lower the surface resistance becomes. Therefore, there is the possibility that the coating condition can be evaluated with the monitoring of the surface resistance. 

Corrosion protection, including deposition of metal coatings such as electrogalvanizing of steel with zinc and electrophoretic deposition of insulating films, both of which are industry standards for protection of automotive bodies... 

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