Fig. 1. Complete (27 x 23.5 metres) FRP flue gas scrubber with outlet duct in 600MW power plant on the Ohio river.
Fibre reinforced polymers for corrosion control
Michael G Stevens looks at the uses of fibre reinforced polymers FRP to control corrosion in industrial applications.
F
ibre reinforced polymers (FRP) have been used to solve corrosion problems for more than 50 years in many industries including chemical process, mineral processing, pulp and paper, and coal burning power plants. In many applications, fibre
reinforced polymers provide superior performance to other materials of construction. As such they are now becoming the first material considered rather than one of last resort. Numerous case histories will be shown in this paper where these versatile materials have been used successfully in the control of corrosive environments. In the early 1950s, a chlor-alkalai manufacturing plant
was suffering from serious corrosion problems in its cell heads and headers. The chlorine cells required replacement in less than one year’s time. A new type of polyester resin, based on chlorendic anhydride, was developed in answer to this critical need. This chlorinated unsaturated polyester resin was referred to as a chlorendic polyester resin. When this material was used
in combination with glass fibres to make the chlorine cell covers and headers, the equipment lifetime was extended to 5-8 years compared to the original construction materials which required replacement in less than one year. This was the start of the use of fibre reinforced polymers (FRP) in corrosion control. Over the next 50 plus years new materials have been developed for many different applications. It is now easy to choose a resin that will give very good performance in many different applications. Over the years, reinforcement materials have also been improved significantly. Innovations in both fields have resulted in substantially longer, maintenance-free life from FRP equipment. The use of FRP resins in a variety of industries will be discussed herein. This review will give the reader an overview of where FRP materials should be considered. The use of FRP can also be more economical in applications where high nickel alloy steels or even stainless steel is required with a coating or lining. FRP also will generally have lower maintenance requirements as compared to coated steel.
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