Advances in the Application of Thermally Insulative Coatings

Abstract Thermally insulative coatings (TICs) have been growing in use and popularity for personnel protection, Corrosion Under Insulation (CUI) elimination, and thermal management of energy processes. The first generation of these coatings were applied using airless pumps or pressure pot equipment. These application methods use relatively high pressure (up to 3000 psi) to pump and atomize the coating to provide a nice, uniform finish at the cost of low film build (20-50 mils DFT per coat). Because the atomization is so fine with these methods, it is difficult to incorporate or entrain air into the insulative coating system, which is a key to maximizing the insulation potential, and thereby requiring significant coats to reach the desired performance. The newest generation of TICs are primarily single component and have improved thermal filler packages to lower their thermal conductivities with the added benefit of making the coatings much lighter, allowing for high film build and air incorporation. Because of these advancements, alterations to application techniques have been developed to utilize the coatings to their full potential, shifting from the standard high pressure, smooth appearance application equipment to lower pressure, textured techniques. Additionally, in-service application advancements have been made, thereby “eliminating” the return-to-service time for jobs.