Hempel, a leading international paints and coating specialist, has launched a new protective coating designed to combat the effects of corrosion under insulation.

Versiline CUI 56990 offers users a combination of heat resistance and corrosion protection in a single material.

It is a new addition to the Versiline range of tailor-made speciality solutions for highly challenging applications – such as chemical tanks, stack linings, absorbers and other process equipment.

The Versiline CUI 56990 ensures a safe, reliable and cost-effective process environment with less risks of unexpected shutdowns and lower maintenance costs, making it a practical and versatile solution in the fight against corrosion under insulation (CUI).

“Versiline CUI 56990 reduces the probability of corrosion on pressurised piping and equipment under insulation. Ultimately, the product decreases the probabilities of equipment failure, providing a solid and safe process environment,” says Simon Daly, group oil and gas segment manager at Hempel.

“Furthermore, the excellent corrosion resistance of the product effectively increases the time between repainting. By increasing this time and the costs associated with repainting, maintenance costs are lowered,” he adds.

The excellent heat-resistant properties of the product make it resistant to micro-cracking. A common cause of premature coating failures, micro-cracking occurs when the equipment is exposed to elevated temperatures and then encounters extended corrosive conditions as part of its regular operational cycle, Daly explains.

Due to its special formulation, Versiline CUI 56990 can be used both for new building and maintenance, in conditions ranging from cryogenic to elevated temperatures of up to 650 deg C.

In addition, the product’s documented hardness and excellent adhesion ensures protection against physical impact, which is important for new building. This combination of hardness and adhesion ensures that minimal damage is caused during transport and installation, thus avoiding time-consuming touch-up.

Daly says: “The process industries are continually looking for new ways to provide effective protection from the effects of corrosion under insulation. The impressive performance of Versiline CUI 56990 across a wide range of conditions allows specification writers to simplify their approach to the coating of high temperature pipework and equipment.”

Being a single-pack system, Versiline CUI 56990 can also be applied to hot working process equipment, thus avoiding shutdowns. Other advantages of the product include its suitability for use on carbon or stainless steel; and excellent resistance to corrosion under insulation and thermal cycling.

The product, which has been launched in the North American market, is expected to be available globally in the near future.