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THE CHALLENGE:
Nuclear submarines undergo extensive inspection and overhaul
during the period in port between deployments. During such an interval, one
nuclear submarine required underwater hull fairing prior to its next voyage.
Fairing in this context means smoothing the hull surface to avoid turbulence.
Several weeks of effort with competitive products had failed to produce the
desired results, and the boats departure date was rapidly approaching with the
work still incomplete. Failure to accomplish the work would either delay
departure or cause an unscheduled dry-docking.
THE SOLUTION:
Navy personnel called the TFT office in
Houston, Texas. BIO-DUR 561 was recommended for the work, and material
was flown out that day by express air freight. Shipment by air was simple due
to the NonHazmat classification of BIO-DUR 561.
BIO-DUR 561 is the original KevlarŪ
reinforced epoxy coating formulated by TFT which may be applied under water. It
is widely utilized in the Marine and Offshore industries where it is valuable as
an anti-corrosion coating applied to immersed structures such as drilling rigs,
shore facilities, and pipelines which cannot be readily dried out for coating
with more conventional materials.
To provide materials
tailored for specific applications, several variants of BIO-DUR 561
formula have been created with differences in viscosity and cure rate. BIO-DUR
561 itself is also available in a Nuclear version approved by EPRI as an
underwater applied coating suitable for Service Level 1 applications within the
primary containment of nuclear plant.
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THE RESULT:
Navy divers completed their underwater labor before 10 PM the very next day
which allowed ample time for curing before the boat left on an extended
deployment the following week.
Reports to TFT indicated
that the work went very smoothly and totally successfully.
(Similar Case
Histories:005, 022, 025, 047)
For more information regarding this project contact:
Jeff Longmore, Technical Director
Thin Film Technology, Inc.
P.O. Box 580669
Houston TX 77258-0669
(713) 910-6200
FAX: (713) 910-6210
E-mail: jeff@thinfilmtech.net
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