Power Plant Water Box FRP Liner

Univeral Blastco fixed the structal damage by applying a fiberglass solution, adverting the need for extensive demo and reconstruction.

  • INDUSTRY: Power
  • LOCATION: Kentucky
  • YEAR: 2023
  • Additional information available upon request for jobC23-079/UB54.

 

Universal Blastco’s FRP division was contracted to blast and reline the interior of four Waterboxes at a major power plant in Kentucky.

The original coating of the water box had begun to fail, causing the steel structure to deteriorate. A fiberglass liner was chosen to replace the previous epoxy novolac, spray applied liner. If a new liner was not installed they would have had to completely demolish and replace the water boxes.

 

relining power plant water box

Process for Installing a New FRP Liner

  • Blast the water boxes to required profile suitable for primer and new FRP liner (near white metal)
  • Cleaned out the blast media from the tanks
  • Applied a primer layer
  • Applied bond tests throughout vessel to ensure proper adhesion
  • Applied new FRP liner consisting of two ply 1½ oz CSM and one ply C-Veil (nominal thickness of .096″)
  • Applied resin rich top coat to all new laminate including silica carbide for abrasive resistance
  • Final inspection, which passed.

 

Challenges Faced Relining the Power Plant’s Water Boxes

Universal Blastco protects and repairs surfaces in the harsh environments of Industrial Processing Facilities. We are used to facing challenges that require us to work differently, creatively or quickly. Below are a few of the challenges faced on this project.

  • This job had to be completed on a short timeline. 
  • There was heavy scale buildup requiring heavy chipping and rivet busting to prepare for blasting. 
  • There was a high level of moisture present so a lot of sealing and environmental controls were used to keep proper conditions.