KTA Staff

demineralized water storage tank

Installation Woes of a Lining in a Demineralized Water Storage Tank

Coating Application, Coating Assessment, Coating Failure, Coatings, Lab Testing, Tanks / By

This month’s case from the F-Files concerns the application of a high performance liner in a steel demineralized water storage tank, or a demin tank.  Demineralized (purified) water can be particularly aggressive in service when even minute traces of soluble salt contamination are present on a coated substrate.  Therefore is not uncommon to see soluble

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chrissy stewart kta

True Detective – Chrissy Stewart, KTA-Tator, Inc.

KTA Announcement, Lab Testing / By

Chrissy Stewart KTA-Tator, Inc. A senior chemist at KTA-Tator, Inc., Chrissy Stewart is heavily involved in failure analysis using various analytical procedures to determine the cause of premature coating failures. She also creates customized coating material test programs (either compositional or exposure) for individual clients. During her nine-year tenure with KTA, Stewart has acquired SSPC’s

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Concrete Coating Failure

Concrete Floor Coatings Forensics Case History — Part 1, Field Investigation Phase

Buildings, Coating Assessment, Coating Failure, Coatings, Commercial, Concrete Floors / By

The field phase of this concrete floor coatings forensics case history included five steps: project familiarization and interview; moisture detection; coating thickness measurements; adhesion testing; and microscopic examination, sample collection and photographic documentation.This edition of the F-Files presents the field investigation undertaken to determine the cause of a concrete floor coating failure (Fig. 1). The

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oil and gas maintenance painting

Effective Maintenance Painting Practices for Offshore Oil & Gas Structures – Part Two

Coatings, Inspection, Pipeline Coatings / By

Undertaking maintenance painting of offshore oil and gas assets can be expensive and frustrating due to the complexity of the facility, and the highly corrosive nature of the marine and chemical-rich environment (Fig. 1). However, the author’s experiences over many years have shown that there are three simple and synergistic methodologies which — if executed

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overcoating failure

Overcoating: Maintenance or Mayhem?

1 Comment / Coating Assessment, Inspection, Maintenance Painting, Specifications / By

Whether a bridge, tank, pipeline, vessel, manufacturing facility, architectural structure or amusement park ride, at some point there will be a need for maintenance painting. The “paint guy” will share responsibility with those involved in general maintenance, funding, prioritizing, public relations and safety.Those familiar with maintenance painting may recall the four maintenance painting strategies: Do

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Maintenance Painting Practices for Offshore Oil and Gas Structures

Maintenance Painting Practices for Offshore Oil & Gas Structures: Part One

Coating Assessment, Inspection, Maintenance Painting, Offshore / By

Offshore oil and gas structures, typically floating production, storage and offloading vessels, or FPSO, and the more conventional fixed platforms, are usually very complex assemblies of fabricated steelwork, metalwork, pressure vessels, structural members, tanks, pressure equipment, valves, pumps, screens and pipework crammed into a very tight and congested deck footprint. The most widely used material

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coating inspection of Saponification

Saponification: From Paint to the Grave

2 Comments / Coating Assessment, Coating Failure, Coatings, Lab Testing / By

At its very basic level, saponification is the term given to the process in which vegetable oils and animal fats are converted into soap. We recognize soaps as wax-like products, modified through the addition of fragrances and skin-care additives (emollients) to become consumer cleaning and bathing products. The essential step in the soap-making process is

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