Preservation Procedure For Material Under Stand Still

NECESSITY FOR PRESERVATION OF MATERIALS
Corrosion allowance, which is generally 1mm to 3mm, in various equipment
deplete over a period of time and prolonged exposure to air results in
degradation of material strength and appearance. During the normal
operation of equipment’s (turbine, Generator, boiler, piping and other BOP
equipment) are performing their usual functions, they are most likely to be
working in their own environment protected from the atmospheric oxygen.
But during power plant idling and shutdowns, metallic parts of a machine
are liable to corrode in the presence of oxygen and moisture of
atmospheric air.
There are many ways by which we can safeguard equipment from corrosion
such as surface treatment and blanketing it with inert-gases like Nitrogen,
Carbon dioxide, etc. The method used to prevent corrosion has their own
limitations, for example internal coating of process equipment is not
acceptable and many inert gases are very expensive to procure or produce.
In this scenario blanketing the process equipment with Nitrogen gas is in
practice widely.
Preventive measures:-
To safeguard equipment, Nitrogen purging is a viable solution. Firstly,
Nitrogen when filled in large volume and slightly positive pressure,
displaces air well. Secondly, Nitrogen is typically dry with a low dew point.
These two characteristics make Nitrogen very desirable as an inert gas.
Nitrogen is used for purging equipment and pipelines as a safety
mechanism to avoid major corrosion due to contact with air.

Nitrogen availability:-
Nitrogen can be procured either by a merchant gas supplier or by
installing onsite gas plant at the point of use. It has been observed that
procurement of Nitrogen is costlier as well as have the users face other
challenges such as storage and constant supply problem. Thus, installing
an onsite gas plant is much viable solution for ensuring instant supply of
gas when required.
Membrane Nitrogen technology: It is simple process to separate nitrogen
from the atmospheric air with the help of membrane modules. It's a
compact size facility.
PSA Technology: Pressure Swing Adsorption technology employs method
of separating nitrogen form atmospheric oxygen with the help of carbon
molecular sieves. This unit is a little complex in construction and relatively
bigger in size.
Both the technology require compressed air around at around 7 bar
pressure. In case, plant air is not provisioned, then a small air compressor,
dedicated for Nitrogen generation, can be provided as an integral part.
For power plants, membrane technology is the most preferred option as it
can be set up with a low cost investment. It also has other advantages such
as compact size, minimal maintenance, easy to operate and life time of 12-
15 years.
Preservation Maintenance program
The following steps to be maintain before preserving the materials.
Storage of materials.
Segregation of materials.
Protective coating of materials.
Tagging of materials.
Hook up preparation.
Periodic activities planning.
Preservation checklist.
Fire extinguishers.
Manpower.
Security.
Other resources.
To ensure better reliability within the plant when those valuable assets are
put into play.
This strategy prevents potential emergency situations that can be very

costly. But unless managed properly, an unprotected parts and equipment
can have dramatic cost implications that often go unrecognized.
Degradation
The storage conditions for inventory are not always ideal. Some industrial
parts are even stored outdoors. Extreme temperatures, humidity, oxygen,
and corrosive environments can be extremely detrimental to the integrity
of most metal and non-metal parts. Metals corrode over time, and polymer
and plastic materials start to harden.
Corrosion can quickly degrade unprotected Equipment.

This degradation can create quite a challenge for facilities that expect
inventory parts to be ready for service when needed. Instead, the quality of
the “new” part is now questionable. Will the rust on a part that is going into
critical equipment affect the reliability of the entire operation, these are
uncertainties that no operator or manager wants to deal with. Putting
compromised parts in place often means equipment is doomed to fail much
sooner than expected.
Preventative Inventory Maintenance
Due to the wide range of material types, the solutions for preservation will
vary. Some solutions might be very specific, depending on the complexity
of the material type. For example, heat exchangers, pumps, piping, and
valves — with large macro surfaces to protect — would be treated
differently than precision bearings or pneumatic systems, which require a
solution that addresses the fine details of the equipment.
Metal Surfaces
One approach to preventing metal part corrosion is to store them with

Volatile Corrosion Inhibitors (VCI) packaging. This type of packaging
contains corrosion-inhibiting substances that create a chemical vapor and
eventually form a thin, protective layer on the stored parts. The biggest
challenge with VCI packaging is ensuring that it is airtight, which can be
difficult to achieve on large components. This type of corrosion inhibitor
becomes less effective with the ingress of air and moisture, which leads to
rapid depletion of the inhibitor and results in corrosion.
VCI packing often leads to corrosion issues unless it is airtight.
The best method for protecting metal surfaces from corrosion is to apply a
corrosion-preventative coating that will thwart degradation as a result of
moisture and other environmental conditions. Chesterton’s 740 Heavy Duty
Rust Guard is a self-healing protective coating that forms a waxy elastic film
and is virtually impervious to moisture and corrosive vapors. The coating is
durable and long-lasting, and can be expected to protect parts for up to two
years. It is ideally suited for large components and coarse surfaces such as
the heat exchangers, valves and piping noted above.
Intricate Components and Precision Metallic Parts
Precision components such as bearings, electrical components, chains, and

spindles should be protected with an ultra-thin, slightly oily, corrosion-
inhibiting film. This type of film may not require removal before putting the
component in service, depending upon the application. It can be easily
sprayed on the components or applied by immersion/dipping. This
treatment will preserve components up to six months, depending upon
environmental conditions.
Non-Metallic Parts
Non-metallic parts such as plastic and other polymer components also

need protection while in storage. Polymers such as rubber belts, O-Rings,
and a variety of other plastics will decay due to ultraviolet (UV) heat and
chemical vapor attack. For example, a rubber belt that hardens while in
inventory will not have sufficient traction or gripping force, causing a
reduction of energy transfer from the motor to the piece of equipment.
Further, polymers that are used to seal electrical components such as

conformal coatings may craze (micro-crack) and permit moisture to
permeate the insulating varnish on PC boards. This results in short-outs.
Rigid polymers can be sealed and protected with Chesterton 421 Clear
Protective Coating (CPC). This clear, hard-drying polymer is suitable for
protection of electrical components.
Rehabilitation / Recovery
For equipment and parts that have already suffered the effects of their
storage environments, all is not lost in most cases!
Rust and oxidation can be removed, or it can be chemically transformed

into a corrosion-inhibiting film. Once the oxidation is treated, a long-term
preservative coating should be applied to prevent reoccurrence.
Chesterton’s 338 Super Rust Remover is a powerful solution that removes
rust and oxidation while conditioning or passivating steel surfaces prior to
the application of a long-term protective coating as mentioned above.
1. Assess Current Value and Potential Losses Due to Decay:
The first step is to take an objective look at your current inventory to

determine costs that go into loss/restoration today:
 Arrive at a cost estimate of the annual amount of non-repairable, non-

recoverable inventory that must be discarded (considered scrap).
 Determine a cost estimation for NOT PRESERVING/PROTECTING the

current new and marginal equipment.
 Secure group agreement on the need to better protect
 Arrive at an annual protection budget
 Determine method for tracking a return
2. Triage & Prioritize:
Separate your inventory into two areas:
1. Equipment/parts that are salvageable with some restoration

2. Equipment/parts which are in good enough condition to receive
protection.
Prioritize which equipment needs addressing first and track progress in a

spreadsheet. Set up your action plan (restorative plan) and schedule.
3. Determine the Correct Protection Technology:
Next, break up these groups into equipment/part type as noted earlier and
determine the best preservation method for each grouping. Your local
supplier should be of assistance at this stage.
4. Purchase Materials, Accessories, and Schedule Manpower

Based upon the surface area to be preserved and protected OR restored,
the selected technology needs to be purchased. If applicable, order spray
equipment, soak tanks, protective gear, and the like. Establish a convenient
work area of sufficient size, set up tables, and plan for the manpower to
implement the restoration/preservation plan.
5. Proper Application/Training:
As with all systems, you’ll want to train staff to properly use the materials
safely. The local supplier, application engineer, sales and service personnel
should provide on-site training for plant personnel if the work is to be done
in-house, or if your budget allows, provide a turn-key service.
6. Storage and Monitoring:
After preservation/restoration, the components should be monitored

quarterly and corrective actions implemented if any re-occurrence of
corrosion is observed.
Summary
It is crucial to preserve this investment. With a deliberate and well thought-

out equipment preservation plan, your operation will have quality material
available in excellent condition when you need it.

Preservation Procedure For Material Under Stand Still

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Preservation Procedure For Material Under Stand Still

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Preservation Procedure For Material Under Stand Still

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

NECESSITY FOR PRESERVATION OF MATERIALS

Corrosion allowance, which is generally 1mm to 3mm, in various equipment

deplete over a period of time and prolonged exposure to air results in

degradation of material strength and appearance. During the normal

operation of equipment’s (turbine, Generator, boiler, piping and other BOP

working in their own environment protected from the atmospheric oxygen.

are liable to corrode in the presence of oxygen and moisture of

such as surface treatment and blanketing it with inert-gases like Nitrogen,

limitations, for example internal coating of process equipment is not

In this scenario blanketing the process equipment with Nitrogen gas is in

To safeguard equipment, Nitrogen purging is a viable solution. Firstly,

Nitrogen when filled in large volume and slightly positive pressure,

These two characteristics make Nitrogen very desirable as an inert gas.

Nitrogen is used for purging equipment and pipelines as a safety

mechanism to avoid major corrosion due to contact with air.

Nitrogen can be procured either by a merchant gas supplier or by

procurement of Nitrogen is costlier as well as have the users face other

challenges such as storage and constant supply problem. Thus, installing

gas when required.

Membrane Nitrogen technology: It is simple process to separate nitrogen

compact size facility.

PSA Technology: Pressure Swing Adsorption technology employs method

of separating nitrogen form atmospheric oxygen with the help of carbon

molecular sieves. This unit is a little complex in construction and relatively

Both the technology require compressed air around at around 7 bar

dedicated for Nitrogen generation, can be provided as an integral part.

For power plants, membrane technology is the most preferred option as it

The following steps to be maintain before preserving the materials.

Protective coating of materials.

Periodic activities planning.

This strategy prevents potential emergency situations that can be very

Corrosion can quickly degrade unprotected Equipment.

Preventative Inventory Maintenance

One approach to preventing metal part corrosion is to store them with

VCI packing often leads to corrosion issues unless it is airtight.

Precision components such as bearings, electrical components, chains, and

Non-metallic parts such as plastic and other polymer components also

Further, polymers that are used to seal electrical components such as

Rust and oxidation can be removed, or it can be chemically transformed

1. Assess Current Value and Potential Losses Due to Decay:

The first step is to take an objective look at your current inventory to

 Arrive at a cost estimate of the annual amount of non-repairable, non-

 Determine a cost estimation for NOT PRESERVING/PROTECTING the

2. Triage & Prioritize:

Separate your inventory into two areas:

1. Equipment/parts that are salvageable with some restoration

Prioritize which equipment needs addressing first and track progress in a

3. Determine the Correct Protection Technology:

4. Purchase Materials, Accessories, and Schedule Manpower

6. Storage and Monitoring:

After preservation/restoration, the components should be monitored

It is crucial to preserve this investment. With a deliberate and well thought-

You might also like