Refrigerant Pipe Refurbishment – Reefer Vessels

The refrigerant pipes on board two large reefer vessels were suffering from leakage, which would ultimately lead to operational issues and significant financial losses.

The process of replacing these pipes is costly, complicated and time consuming, therefore an effective refurbishment solution was the preferred option for this project.

The pipes were contained within thick insulation, making it difficult to identify the leaks. This also made it more difficult to prepare and coat the surface of the pipes.

The chosen solution had to provide long-term protection from corrosion and also prevent any further leaks.

An innovative solution which utilised Chemco’s solvent-free, wet & rust tolerant coating system was selected.

The pipe externals were cleaned and mechanically prepared to St 2 standards, before being gradually coated in RS 500P and wrapped in fibreglass tape.

This process was continued until full coverage was achieved and the RS 500P had fully soaked into the fibreglass tape.

After 24 hours, one final coat of RS 500P was applied.

The chosen Chemco solution has been able to eliminate problems with refrigerant loss and avoid any issues with cooling cargo.

This has helped support considerable cost savings.

• Solvent-free
• Wet & rust tolerant
• Can be applied on minimally prepared surfaces
• Seals the surface to provide barrier to corrosion and leakage
• Quick-curing
• No recoating limitations
• No nearby operational shutdown required
• Improved Health