A water volute pump required a complete strip down, repair and rebuilding as well as protection against corrosion and on-going performance enhancement, using a friction reduction coating system; Fluiglide.

The pump was first stripped to its component parts. Any necessary repairs were completed before the internals were grit-blasted to Sa2 ½. The externals were done to Sa2.

Multiple coats of Corroglass 600 series were applied to the pump internals and impeller. Corroglass is our glass flake range of corrosion protection coatings. These high-performance engineering composites use resin technology to safeguard process environments. Typical applications include refurbishing and protecting heavy duty capital equipment. This includes pumps, valves, water boxes, heat exchanger tube faces, spool pieces, filters, strainers and auxiliary equipment. This was the ideal coating for this type of equipment and would provide excellent corrosion protection.

                                     Rear cover of pump before coating                              Rear cover of pump following application of Corroglass 600 series.

Next Fluiglide was applied to a minimum dry film thickness (DFT) of 350µm.  This increased to 600µm in areas of increased wear. Fluiglide’s sole purpose is to reduce fluid friction, increasing flow in the boundary layer, thus reducing power requirements and giving better efficiency. This applies both for the reduction of losses in transmitting fluids through pipe work and channels, and increasing the efficiency of fluid prime movers. You can find out more about our Fluiglide energy efficient coating system here.

                                     Pump Impeller before                                                   Pump impeller following application of Fluiglide

               Pump internals following application of Fluiglide

With increasing energy costs, the potential 4-5% efficiency gains attained by using Fluiglide offers a fast payback on initial application costs.

The outer surfaces of the raw water volute pump were coated with Plasmet ZF.  Plasmet ZF is a surface tolerant two-pack epoxy coating compound incorporating a rust inhibitor and passivator, with micaceous iron oxide (MIO) and Glass Flake for increased protection.

Pump outer casing following application of Plasmet ZF.

The final stage of the project was the application of Corrothane AP1; a high performance cosmetic top coat.