When Henateks, a textile manufacturer for Nike, Adidas and Reebok, was looking for a way to lower its energy-intensive yarn and fabric dyeing, its general manager explored a then-new product that was a clear insulating coating based upon a patented nanotechnology. It used the paint-on insulation to coat large dyeing machines, steam pipes and valves to lower heat loss, thus lowering energy consumption for its manufacturing process. At the end of the second year the company had saved more than $852 million in NGL costs, and its project payback was seven months.

Now, after a decade of proving itself, this technology has been used by many other market sectors around the world, including the oil and gas industry, which was the sector the technology was originally created for.

New technology addresses industry needs

In 2002 the founder and CEO of Industrial Nanotech Inc. was investigating industry needs that might be addressed with the scientific discoveries happening in the field of nanotechnology. He saw an opportunity in the oil and gas industry to help reduce the large costs experienced due to corrosion under insulation (CUI). The problem stems from traditional forms of insulation in use as far back as 1938, when fiberglass insulation was invented that did not bond with the surface and trap moisture beneath the insulation. This causes the dual problem of corrosion from the trapped moisture and degradation of the fibrous insulation, which is not made to stand up to moisture.

By working with a specific nanomaterial that has an extremely low thermal conductivity as well as a hydrophobic nature, he was able to incorporate the nanomaterial into a clear water-based coating system and create a patented technology that both insulates and prevents corrosion, thus solving the CUI issue.

Corrosion and insulation data

When the technology was first introduced to industry and government at an annual corrosion conference in 2005 for insulation and corrosion control of pipelines, tanks and other assets, there was skepticism that a water-based coating could perform as well as the epoxies currently in use. So the company tested and presented data that proved that this new technology was up to the standards that industry depended upon and that it performed well in corrosion, prevention of CUI, adhesion and thermal insulation tests.

The technology was tested to the GM9540P standard, an accelerated cyclical salt-spray test that is used by the U.S. Navy. Passing eight cycles with no rusting is considered a minimum “pass” for a corrosion control coating. The Nansulate nanotechnology-based coating passed 24 cycles with no rusting or loss of adhesion.

Two other oil- and gas-related standards tested were BP standards for resistance to CUI and thermal conductivity. The testing is done over a pipe section with heated oil inside held at 130 C (266 F) that is subject to being sprayed with artificial seawater periodically every 24 hours throughout the test. After the 100-day test, the coating showed a consistent insulating performance with no loss of performance due to the salt spray and excellent resistance to corrosion with no flaking.

Adhesion is a very important element to any coating, especially those meant to prevent corrosion, since any loss of adhesion leaves open an area of the surface, which could corrode. Nansulate was tested to the ASTM D4145 for pull-off strength and, with a rating of 2,400 psi to 2,450 psi, was comparable to the high-quality marine epoxies on the market.

Breaking through barriers

The main barrier to wider initial adoption of this technology was that it was innovative and changed the way one equates thickness to insulation. So education was a large part of the introduction process, explaining how thermal barriers work and why thermal conduction is a more accurate way to express insulating ability than a simple R-value. When new technology allows insulation in a much thinner layer than in the past, standards that evaluate performance need to keep up with that technology, which is not always the case.

Along with education and testing data came field studies, which Industrial Nanotech knew would help to prove performance in real-world conditions. Over the last 10 years the company has gathered these data in multiple industries and in climates as varied as Alaska and the Middle East. The field studies remain a testament to the performance of this technology in facilities around the world, including in some of the harshest environments.

Offshore China

Nansulate coatings are a patented nanotechnology-based form of thermal insulation that provide additional benefits such as corrosion prevention and moisture resistance. Because the technology is meant to be applied at much less than an inch (just a few hundred microns), explaining the way that it insulates to the oil and gas industry proved a challenge but one that was well worth the time educating engineers about the newest advances in nanotechnology.

One large and innovative company that has seen the advantages firsthand is Sinopec, China’s state-owned oil and gas company. During the winter of 2012-13, it performed a field study on an offshore fuel oil storage tank stationed in the East China Sea. The degraded fiberglass insulation and cladding was removed, and the company treated the corroded areas that had been caused by CUI and coated the large tank with a 12-coat (1,200-micron) application of the Nansulate thermal barrier and corrosion prevention coating. Testers observed its performance from October 2012 through March 2013, the months when keeping their fuel at between 68 C and 72 C (154.4 F and 161.6 F) provided the biggest challenge due to the cold temperatures.

At the end of the testing period, it was determined that the nanotechnology coating kept the oil temperature within 3 C (5.4 F) of the 8.0-cm rock wool insulation with cladding that the company had used previously to insulate its tanks, plus it did not degrade in the moist, salty air environment, and it prevented corrosion of the tank. In addition, engineers had the ability to see the surface of the tank through the clear insulation coating, which would allow them to easily inspect it as needed. After the field study, they were convinced by the performance and plan to upgrade to this new insulating technology to protect more of their assets.

Changing with the times

A benefit of this paint-on insulation is that it improves how people insulate on a large scale—from buildings to tanks to manufacturing equipment. It lasts much longer than fibrous insulations in humid and outdoor environments, and it greatly lowers payback periods when compared to technologies like solar.

There was a time when Bill Gates and Steve Jobs spent years educating companies about their new computer technology. They were turned away by many until the technology spoke louder than the naysayers. Nansulate is following a similar path—the coatings have been proving themselves since 2004, and corporations are now taking a serious look at them as they realize the impact this technology has on their bottom line, energy efficiency, asset protection and carbon impact on the planet.

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