It’s no secret that coatings last longer and perform better on a clean surface. Most cleaning methods, however, cause problems of their own. Dry blasting shatters the rust and coating on the surface and embeds abrasive contaminants to become stuck into the roughened surface. Wet abrasive blasting with untreated water causes flash rust. Other salt removers only remove a few salts, while replacing them with other salts and leaving behind an acidic, conductive residue. A new solution from a US-based company offers impressive cleaning without contaminants, flash rust, residue or film. It is naturally proving popular in the oil & gas sector – a market where durable, corrosion-resistant coatings are an absolute necessity.
HoldTight completely removes all salts and therefore all conductivity. It also removes abrasives and debris from the surface’s profile, providing a better surface area to bond with coating. Since it leaves a clean, rust-free surface for up to 72 hours, large areas of structures can be blasted and cleaned completely before coating application, instead of having to be coated immediately after blasting every day.
The product can be worked into any blasting process to achieve a totally clean surface, with zero flash-rust and zero residue left behind. It is a clear, simple additive with visible results, eliminating both natural and artificial contaminants. Throughout the oil & gas sector – from upstream to downstream – the solution is safe to use and compatible with a wide variety of surfaces, including steel, concrete, fibreglass, aluminium and composites.
Blasting water treated with HoldTight onto a surface prior to coating removes all naturally occurring contaminants (salts, acids, conductives). The solution also removes byproducts of the blasting process (shattered abrasives, dried paint) lodged within the pores of the surface, allowing for the most adhesive bond possible between the surface and the coating.
The cleanest surfaces are achieved when the product is used in both the blast and wash-down cycles at a 50-100 (water to HoldTight 102) ratio. The product extends the life and value of oil & gas assets for just pennies per application.
Operators can also save time and money with HT 365, a new thin-film coating that can be applied to blasted surfaces, preserving the blast and preventing flash rust and corrosion for up to one year. It can be applied to untreated surfaces or those that have been treated with HoldTight 102.
By preserving the blast for up to one year, HT 365 allows personnel to work with maximum efficiency, giving operators peace of mind that their surface is properly prepped for a quality coating – even if the project cannot be completed right away.
This new product is easily applied by brush, spray or dipping and easily removed by high-pressure washing with HoldTight 102-treated water.
Ken Rossy is with HoldTight. www.holdtight.com
