The current pandemic has brought hard economic challenges, forcing many workers and equipment to be idle. Unfortunately, this could have long-term effects months or years after markets open up. Industries must do what they can now to make the most of this difficult situation and retain value where possible. An important key is to protect idle assets from corrosion, so equipment is ready to start up quickly when workers come back on the job. With proper asset preservation, surprise complications from rusty equipment will be one less thing to worry about at startup. 

Cortec® Corporation provides guidance and a broad range of solutions to corrosion and rust prevention of machines. The following scenarios offer a glimpse at where to start minimising loss.

The first place to look is at basic operating equipment such as boilers, cooling systems, and electricals. These are entering a period similar to seasonal layup and should be preserved accordingly for easy startup. Fortunately, this does not require any heroic measures—just some purposeful application of Vapor phase Corrosion Inhibitors that protect full equipment internal volumes. In the case of water treatment, products such as Cortec’s Boiler Lizard® and Cooling Loop Gator® have revolutionised the traditional approach to layup – which is often either complicated or negligent – by providing convenient, effective, easy to apply alternatives that prevent corrosion and simplify startup. Protection of electricals is also easy – so much so, that it can warrant sticking a VpCI®-105 or VpCI®-111 Emitter inside all electrical cabinets even during operational times.

A second focus is on industry-specific machinery. This may include drilling rig components or custom-designed manufacturing equipment that would be expensive to replace. A variety of techniques and technologies are available to protect various components – for example, using specialty VpCI® additives in oil and hydraulic systems, fogging internal voids with VpCI®-337, and/or wrapping exterior equipment parts with a heavy duty VCI film such as VpCI®-126 HP UV or MilCorr® VpCI® Shrink Film. For some equipment surfaces, VpCI® coatings may be ideal. 

A third commonly needed area of protection is overstock of heavy equipment such as offroad vehicles. When this equipment needs to be stored in harsh conditions, the results can be especially severe if extra protection is not provided. Several years ago, one heavy equipment dealer faced this very problem during an economic downturn that reduced vehicle demand in the mining industry. The overstock had to be stored near the ocean, and this harsh environment caused the paint to blister and crack, leading to corrosion on the exposed surfaces underneath. Conventional paint did not solve the rust problem – repainting was needed in one to two months. A trial of Cortec® VpCI®-386 coatings was much more effective, so the dealer repainted the full equipment bodies with VpCI®-386 tinted to match the original paint colours.

Protecting idle equipment from corrosion is a primary way to minimise loss and stay responsive in this unpredictable market. Cortec® Corporation is making it possible for industries to do so by providing a broad range of solutions to corrosion along with expert advice.