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THE CHALLENGE:
A university research reactor built in 1974, part of a major
university radiation laboratory, is contained in a 75,000 gallon tank of
demineralized water. The tank is constructed from high density concrete with a
welded ž aluminum liner. Leaks in the liner began to appear after
approximately 10 years of service and were sealed by welding new aluminum plates
over them. After 10 more years, the liner began leaking again. The rate
increased until 2001 when it was leaking several gallons per hour. A practical,
permanent sealing solution was required that could be installed by university
staff.
THE SOLUTION:
University
personnel selected TFT BIO-DUR 561 for this application. Although
application would be extremely straightforward since it was under dry
conditions, the TFT coatings proven resistance to radiation was reassuring. BIO-DUR
561 is available in a Nuclear version approved by EPRI as an
underwater-applicable coating suitable for Service Level 1 applications within
the primary containment of a nuclear plant.
BIO-DUR 561
is the original KevlarŪ reinforced underwater applicable epoxy coating
formulated by TFT. It is widely used 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 that cannot be readily
dried out for coating with more conventional materials.
Several versions of the
BIO-DUR 561 formula have been created with variations in viscosity and cure
rate to provide materials tailored for specific applications.
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Photo 1 - OVERHEAD VIEW OF REACTOR
Photo 2 - REPAIRS AROUND POOL BASE
THE RESULT:
BIO-DUR 561 epoxy
coating was applied by university personnel to selected portions of the aluminum
liner including weld seams along the pool floor, around beam flanges, and on
several areas of pitting.
After refilling the pool,
no further leaking was observed. The pool remains leak-free in 2005 following
an additional four (4) years of service. (To
see official University report, click here.)
For more details 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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