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Transformer Painting Featuring Radiator
Flow Coating |
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Substation Structure & Transmission
Tower Painting |
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Insulator Coating &
Cleaning |
USM-Permashell specializes in cleaning and painting high
voltage electrical equipment, serving the Canadian utility industry for over 10
years. We understand the safety and operational requirements of substation
work, and our personnel are trained for work in energized
substations.
TRANSFORMER PAINTING SERVICES
Electrical transformers
represent very large capital investments, and they are designed for life cycles
of 50 years or more, but the OEM paint jobs just don't last that long. Sooner
or later they need to be repainted for protection against corrosion
damage.
When it comes time to repaint transformer radiators, you have
two choices:
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The Right Way - Flow Coating |
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The Wrong Way - Spray Painting |
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The Wrong Way
Spray
Painting |
The Right Way
Flow
Coating |
Spray painting just doesn't get the job done. In fact, spray
painting may not cover any more than 50 to 75% of radiator surfaces,
camouflaging the corrosion damage and leaving your operations vulnerable to
electrical failure. It's the Wrong Way.
THE RIGHT WAY. THE ONLY WAY
 Flow
Coating is the only complete and long-term cost effective way to do the
job.
Similar to a factory immersion finish, Flow Coating is applied on
location in the substation without dismantling the equipment and if necessary
with little or no interruption of service.
Flow Coating provides
complete coverage of 100% of radiator surface area, including the backsides and
restricted surfaces of the fins, tubes and stabilizer bars, as well as the
joints, seams and hidden areas deep within the radiator banks that are not
accessible by any other painting method.
Where rust has formed on inaccessible
radiator surfaces, a special rust removal and neutralizing solution is applied
by Flow Coating to chemically neutralize the rust, and passivate it for
encapsulation with subsequent coats of corrosion and weather resistant
paint.
 Also,
where old coatings are blistered, flaking and peeling on inaccessible surfaces,
they are stripped from the tube surfaces with a heated chemical stripping
compound by the Flow Coating process. This is followed by treatment of the bare
metal surfaces with a chemical surface treatment solution, and refinishing with
multiple coats of corrosion and weather resistant paint, to provide a
replacement coating system that will be trouble-free for as long as
possible.
Where equipment is exposed to contamination with soluble salts
such as chlorides, sulfates or nitrates, invisible residues left on surfaces
will absorb moisture through coating films, causing blistering and premature
coating failure. Decontamination with
a soluble salts removal solution is
specified for insurance against salt-induced coating failure.
SUBSTATION STRUCTURE AND TOWER PAINTING
SERVICES
Most substation structures and
transmission towers are constructed of hot-dip galvanized steel. Depending on
the quality of the galvanizing and the environmental exposure, galvanizing
generally lasts from 15 - 50 years before the zinc coating is eroded to the
point where corrosion of the base steel begins to take place, and it is very
important to recognize when this begins to occur. A protective layer of paint
over aged galvanizing acts as a barrier between the remaining zinc and the
environment, slowing down the rate at which the zinc is sacrificed, and
allowing it to continue to protect the steel substrate for a much longer time.
Changes in the appearance of the
galvanizing are an indication of its life expectancy. As galvanizing weathers,
it loses its brightness and darkens due to the formation of zinc corrosion on
the surface. When it becomes dark grey, it is a general indication that much of
the zinc layer has been eroded away. This is the signal that maintenance
painting is due, because surface preparation, which is a major factor in the
cost of painting these structures, is fairly moderate at this point.
When the surface becomes reddish-brown, the zinc-iron alloy layer, that was
formed between the zinc and the the steel substrate, has been exposed by the
erosion of the zinc, and a new barrier is needed to avoid jeopardizing the
integrity of the structure.
Doing maintenance at the right time has
measurable and significant cost savings. Maintenance painting at the right time
extends the protection of the original galvanizing, and if done properly with
the appropriate coatings, doubles the service life of the structure. Repeated
maintenance painting later on will further extend the service life of the
structure..
INSULATOR COATING AND CLEANING
SERVICES
PREVENT AND ELIMINATE THE EXPENSE OF INSULATOR FLASHOVERS WITH
HIGH VOLTAGE
INSULATOR COATING
When flashovers occur, it can cost much
more than replacement or repair of the damaged insulators or bushings.
Flashovers can cause sudden, unexpected power outages that can result in
production stoppages or interruptions of customer services that can easily cost
thousands or even millions of dollars.
Flashovers due to surface
contamination and wildlife contact can be prevented by the application of
silicone High Voltage Insulator Coating on the surfaces of insulators and
bushings.
Proper surface preparation is essential for good adhesion of
HVIC. If necessary, USM-Permashell cleans insulator and bushing surfaces by
gently blasting with a very soft, fine powdered limestone abrasive that does
not damage glazed surfaces. The light dust film of this non-toxic,
agricultural-grade limestone powder is safely blown away with high-pressure
air. And unlike corncob abrasive that is often used, our cleaning compound
leaves no corrosive residue on other substation apparatus, and no mess in
substation yards.
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