First Corrosol Specialist at Van Staveren

Insulation Company C. J. van Staveren from Hoogvliet sought a new supplier for their cryogenic project as a result of their regular supplier’s fiber-reinforced GRP polyester system certificate expiring. Corrotech Construction Chemicals from Dubai, as the new supplier, have not only supplied the Corrosol product but have provided theoretical and practical training for Van Staveren’s four specialist mechanics; making them the first trained applicators for Corrosol in Netherlands.

Director Coen van Staveren’s company, Isolatiebedrijf C.J. van Staveren based in Hoogvliet, had won a project for domes insulation on LNG tanker in the port of Rotterdam. However, his GRP supplier’s certificate had expired and director Van Staveren needed a solution. He stated “We only work with certified products. So, I started looking for an alternative. We had to act quickly and find a new supplier. Fortunately, I quickly came into contact with the GRP specialist Marco van Dijk of Corrotech Construction Chemicals in Dubai and contacted them immediately”.

Marco van Dijk works all over the world as the Technical Support Manager for Corrotech Construction Chemicals and is the specialist for Corrosol PE IP material application. Corrotech Construction Chemicals has been manufacturing the product in Dubai since 2007. Van Dijk has 23 years’ experience of UV curing glass fiber reinforced polyester application. Interest for this special casing system is increasing in the international market for technical insulation. It is because of this that Van Dijk gives practical application courses worldwide. Prior to his appointment in Hoogvliet, Van Dijk spent time in Russia and will continue to his next posting in India. Van Dijk’s home base is Dubai but the majority of his time is spent elsewhere.

The technicians Joey van Staveren, Peter Busker, Marcel Kemp and Dennis Romunde receive a practical assignment after the theory part. Marco van Dijk (r) from Corrotech shares tips and tricks. Coen van Staveren and CINI/NCTI director Paul de Koning watching in the background.

GRP is a specialty insulation product. Fiberglass reinforced UV curing polyester systems offer exciting possibilities, especially where challenging circumstances push the boundaries for conventional alternatives. Examples include tropical conditions where humidity levels are high, heavy offshore conditions, shipbuilding and petrochemicals. It also extends to applications in the food industry where powerful high-pressure sprayers do not have effective control over insulation.

System integrity also plays a role in varying circumstances and, not only in export, the materials are not susceptible to theft during or after project implementation. The most important aspects are the complete water tightness and the very high mechanical strength along with, for the trained professional, extremely flexible application possibilities. It is within the pharmaceutical and food industries that the opportunity to exploit the benefits of GRP lies. In these industries, hygiene is a top priority and intensive industrial cleaning is an important part of the production routine. It is of utmost importance that insulation does not absorb dirt, moisture or microbiological contaminants. The seamless polyester jacket forms the necessary waterproof and mechanically robust protection. It is for these reasons that Van Staveren wanted to use the application on an LNG tanker.

“Switching to a new supplier and a new product means that you first have to become familiar with the new material”, states Van Staveren. Marco van Dijk traveled from Dubai to Hoogvliet to explain the intricacies of GRP insulation to the Van Staveren engineers. Marco van Dijk says: “Corrosol is actually easy to apply, once you take a few precautions into account. The material cures under UV light. Once it cures, it hardens and you cannot continue processing it. The ideal conditions are therefore in fast, favourable and clean working environments. Outside in the sun, it means that application steps have to be done in the right order and the pieces of material should not be too large.”

GRP has proven itself, in combination with rock wool insulation, as a sustainable solution in various circumstances in both the food sector and other industrial areas such as tank construction. Illustrative is insulation of multiple temperature systems, to which the thermodynamic properties of insulation and jackets must be accustomed to. The object must remain optimally protected against the ingress of moisture, despite temperature changes. After the application of GPR, any additional modifications, local inspections or repairs can easily be done and new pieces will form a seamless and watertight system.

Corrosol material in its uncured state is extremely flexible. It is supplied in ready to use rolls, with protective foils on both the top and bottom of the sheet. The sheets can conveniently be cut and molded to the desired shape. As the material cures under a UV light, it is very easy to use in outdoor applications. UV lamps are used for indoor applications. The most important required tools are a tape measure and a knife. The cut-to-size material can be applied directly to aluminum-coated rock wool insulation.

UV CURED GRP

During application, overlapping of sheets of minimum 3 cm is recommended. The bottom film is removed during application while the top protective film can easily be removed after curing. Once this part of the process is complete, fittings can be finished with moldings cut on site.

The material can be processed to be particularly flexible, even at difficult project locations. After UV curing, it is permanently watertight and mechanically strong.

Two specially made dome samples were part of the practical exam.

Article issued in:Isolatie Magazine No. 81March 2019Pages 36-37Rotterdam, Netherlands

Corrosol is manufactured by:Corrotech Construction Chemicals P.O. Box 8344, Dubai, U.A.E. Tel: +971 4 8112100; Fax:+971 4 8112101ccc@mctuae.comwww.mctuae.com

UV CURED GRP