CORROSIVITY, SACRIFICIAL RATES & COATINGS Reports collated over the years have established corrosivity rates for

different locations around the world for unprotected steel. The highest established rate was a loss of 194 microns per annum on New Castle beach. Data collected along the Tema shoreline on an unprotected rail line section indicate an annual loss of 2000 microns, ten times the highest recorded in the survey. A sample of sea water off the Tema shoreline was sent to the Ghana Standards Board for tests to establish the water soluble chloride concentration. The following table correlates the effect of chlorides on the corrosion of steel, ductile iron or reinforced steel in concrete. WATER SOLUBLE CHLORIDE CONCENTRATION (PPM) Over 5,000 1,500 5,000 500 1,500 Below 500 DEGREE OF CORROSIVITY Severe Considerable Corrosive Threshold

The Chloride concentration in the sea water sample from the Tema shoreline had 15,000 ppm concentration, which value is three times the minimum value for severe corrosivity. Oil exploration companies working off shore in the western region of Ghana has experienced corrosivity rates higher than encountered anytime in their operational history. PICTURE OF RISER PIPES

The high corrosivity rates make it imperative that appropriate solutions (coatings) be applied to metal surfaces exposed to the marine environment that will ensure integrity of both safety critical and non safety critical installations on facilities. These solutions must be cost effective and efficient. The research department of The Chavern Group has tested the efficacy of various coatings available on the Ghanaian market over a six year period and found them short of delivering the required solution of corrosion prevention. Most of these were epoxy paints that are being marketed with no technical support, and which efficacy ratings are based on their use in localities that do not have the same unforgiving marine chloride concentration as are prevalent along these shores. Over the ages two corrosion preventive applications have been used: 1. Moisture barrier coating 2. Cathodic protection

Given the factors that promote corrosion, moisture and oxygen, and the cure time of most epoxy coatings, most coating membranes were permeated by both oxygen and moisture before complete cure, enabling corrosion to continue under the coating layer even after its cured. The main thrust, after research, was to find a coating that had the following properties: 1. 2. 3. 4. Short cure period Deprive the substaate of oxygen and moisture in the cure process. Provide cathodic protection to the steel substrate. Form an impermeable moisture barrier after cure.

Extensive research resulted in the selection of Rust Bullet as the optimum product. Rust Bullet met all of the parameters determined for an efficient and cost effective solution to the corrosion issues of West Africa. Subsequent research for heat corrosion prevention settled on Thurmalox coatings, and for marine anti fouling applications that meet IMO convention requirements, Tru Nano Marine Armour. Distributorships for both THurmalox and TruNano coatings have also been acquired for West Africa. Corrosion prevention cannot be said to be a onetime application, as coatings will sacrifice themselves to protect the steel substrate. A corrosion management system must be put in place to monitor the sacrificial rates of coatings in the various environments and exposure to determine the impact on coatings and establish recoat intervals to maintain facility integrity.

TABLE OF ESTABLISHED SACRIFICIAL RATES ( MARINE & MINING)