Demonstration/Validation of Low-VOC Barrier Coating for Industrial Maintenance

WP-200301

Objectives of the Demonstration

WP-200301 Project Graphic

DESC Demonstration Site, Long Beach, CA.

To protect against corrosion, all exterior Aboveground Storage Tank (AST) surfaces initially receive two coats of epoxy (MIL-DTL-24441) and a polyurethane topcoat (MIL-PRF-85285), containing no more than 350 grams per liter (g/L) of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) per coat. Exterior maintenance painting of ASTs is generally required at less than eight years of service, and when the three-coat system is used for complete reapplication over aged and weathered coatings, it has contributed to costly, premature coating failures. In addition to performance requirements, California's air quality standards are the immediate environmental drivers whereby the current three-coat system for ASTs is not compliant. In effect since August of 2002, California's South Coast Air Quality Management District has required that all Industrial Maintenance Coatings contain no more than 250 g/L of VOCs and, effective in August of 2006, no more than 100 g/L of VOCs. The objective of this project is to demonstrate/validate a Low-VOC Barrier Coating (LVBC) system for use in the exterior maintenance painting of marginally sound, coated surfaces on ASTs.

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Technology Description

WP-200301 Fact Sheet

Spray application of LVBC Barrier Coating on Tank 2003 roof.

The technology to be demonstrated and validated was developed in response to the Small Business Innovative Research Program's (SBIR) Solicitation 01.1, "N0-027: Sprayable Polysulfide Elastomeric Development." The SBIR contractor, PolySpec, developed a 99 percent solid, high-build, low-VOC (i.e., less than 5 g/L), two component proprietary blend of Bis F epoxy and liquid polysulfide, which displayed maximum adhesion to industrial topcoats, good tensile strength, outstanding flexibility, and excellent barrier protection. This demonstration will apply the LVBC and the topcoat recently validated by ESTCP for aircraft and equipment (Zero-VOC Waterborne, Polyurethane Topcoat [http://www.estcp.org/projects/pollution/199802v.cfm]: MIL-PRF-85285D, Type III, Class W) to the exterior surface of an AST with approximately 20,000 square feet of weathered/semi-sound coatings. Prior to installation, the existing AST coating system will be quantitatively assessed and, following installation, monitored for field performance over no less than four years.

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Implementation Issues

Maintenance painting of ASTs using the LVBC/Zero VOC Topcoat system should reduce annual Department of Defense VOC emissions by 22,750 pounds as well as produce annual savings in excess of $1.5M when compared to complete coating removal and reapplication.

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Project Documents

Points of Contact

Principal Investigator

Mr. Daniel Zarate

Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC)

Phone: 805-982-1057

Program Manager

Weapons Systems and Platforms

SERDP and ESTCP

Project Documents

Document Types

  • Fact Sheet - Brief project summary with links to related documents and points of contact.
  • Final Report - Comprehensive report for every completed SERDP and ESTCP project that contains all technical results.
  • Cost & Performance Report - Overview of ESTCP demonstration activities, results, and conclusions, standardized to facilitate implementation decisions.
  • Technical Report - Additional interim reports, laboratory reports, demonstration reports, and technology survey reports.
  • Guidance - Instructional information on technical topics such as protocols and user’s guides.
  • Workshop Report - Summary of workshop discussion and findings.
  • Multimedia - On demand videos, animations, and webcasts highlighting featured initiatives or technologies.
  • Model/Software - Computer programs and applications available for download.
  • Database - Digitally organized collection of data available to search and access.