NANOTECHNOLOGY FEATURE ADVANCED CARBON NANOTUBE MATERIAL


Intertec launches breakthrough nanotechnology antistatic coating, offering advanced UV protection for hazardous area enclosures


A


n advanced nanotechnology-based antistatic surface coating treatment


has been developed for field equipment protection specialist Intertec, for its GRP (glassfibre reinforced polyester) outdoor enclosures. Developed for Intertec by the chemical specialist BЬFA, the new coating also offers protection against damage from ultraviolet radiation - helping to achieve extended maintenance-free lifecycles of field-based control and instrumentation equipment in processing industries such as oil, gas, chemicals and petrochemicals. Intertec’s weathering tests in an


environmental test chamber have shown that the new coating can withstand extended exposure to very high UV levels - providing a so called “superb” new level of protection particularly for GRP field enclosures destined for environments such as deserts, the tropics or the Arctic. Dubbed GO-Antistatic, the new treatment is based on an advanced


explosion of gas, vapour or dust in the local atmosphere. Gelcoats are a premium form of


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carbon nanotube material that is applied as part of a surface gelcoat. The advanced nanomaterial provides a degree of conductivity for the outdoor enclosure that dissipates any static electric charges safely to ground - to protect against sparking. Such treatments ensure safety in hazardous areas of processing plants, where a spark caused by the build up of an electrostatic charge can cause an


Figure1:


GO-Antistatic, a new treatment based on an advanced carbon nanotube material, applied as part of a surface gelcoat


protection, and form a chemical bond on the surface of the GRP. Most of the antistatic treatments applied to GRP enclosures today rely on the addition of conductive materials into the surface gelcoat (or conductive paint) by employing carbon/graphite, tin or other metals. However, if the gelcoat contains antistatic material, this can have a detrimental effect on its performance, notably in terms of reducing its smoothness and ultraviolet protection, and limiting the colouring possibilities. Extended exposure to high UV levels can then damage GRP enclosures, leading to minor surface roughening - which is sometimes referred to as chalking or frosting. Intertec and BЬFA worked together to


develop the new antistatic coating. BЬFA chose single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) to provide the required conductivity and has developed proprietary techniques to disperse the SWCNTs in the coating material.


www.intertec.info www.buefa.de


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