Based upon our experience over more than 35 years, of successfully installing thermal spray cladding systems to mitigate high temperature corrosion, working in O&G environments since the mid 1990’s, supported by continuous in-house testing, e.g. high temperature autoclave testing at our R&D facility of high acid sour crude at 300 C.

In the same way that a corrosion engineer or vessel designer would select an Alloy as appropriate or resistant to an operating environment (e.g. alloy 625 or C-276), IGS HVTS alloys are modified to deliver the same alloy performance as the selected alloy, providing the same upgraded surface metallurgy and corrosion resistance.

Two attributes affect longevity of a Thermal Spray Coating (TSC) in high temperature corrosion environments.  The material must be shown to be non-reactive / passive in the environment, but equally important must have a macro-structure that prevents permeation of corrosive product to the substrate.   As with any corrosion barrier, application standard and quality control is key.  It is important to note that the rapid heating and cooling cycles intrinsic to the TSC application process precludes the application of some traditional welding materials.  TSC applied materials take on unique attributes; some aid performance, some not.  Thus, the importance of actual proof of performance in similar environments is one of the most important selection criteria to consider.

No, the IGS HVTS alloy is deposited as a surface protection system or corrosion barrier, it will not add any mechanical strength to the equipment, but it will protect and maintain what you have.  If there is any doubt, the equipment should have a fitness for service inspection and any required remedial mechanical repairs (e.g. localized carbon steel weld build up) completed prior to HVTS application.

IGS HVTS technology is an effective barrier to protect the underlying carbon steel base substrate from interaction with the expected process constituents in the equipment. Furthermore, the IGS HVTS technology is purposely designed to be non-reactive and as such it will not corrode or oxidise in the operating environment.

No, the IGS alloys are designed to have a similar thermal expansion co-efficient to the substrate material and as such are compatible for cyclic service.