Polyurea Application Sparks Excitement in New Zealand

PALMERSTON, NEW ZEALAND - April 18, 2011 - Murray Harvey, the Managing Director for Applied Conveyor & Polymers Ltd. was awarded a contract by Oceana Gold to apply a corrosion/abrasion resistant protective coating to inside of three steel holding tanks at the “Macres Mine”, located at Macres Flats Palmerston, New Zealand. The tanks measured 8 meters high and 9 meters in diameter. The product specified was GatorHyde DLX 90 manufactured by CHEMLINE, Inc. St. Louis, MO.

According to Murray, the company looked at several different products by other manufacturers, but decided on GatorHyde DLX due to its excellent physical properties. The main criteria were for a coating that had ability to stand up against the fine slurry that consisted of ore concentrate, fine carbon and cyanide.

Originally Oceana Gold had considered the replacement of the tanks but determined that it would be cost prohibitive so the best alternative solution was to repair the tanks and install a durable, long lasting coating to the interior. Once the contract was awarded to Applied Conveyor, the company pulled 3 tanks off line, and then completely cleaned, high pressure blasted water blasted then grit blasted the tank interiors and repaired all the damaged steel sections.

Immediately after the surface preparation was complete, the primer was applied and then GatorHyde DLX 90 was installed. Applied Conveyor spray technicians, using a high pressure Graco HXP-2 plural component pumps installed the GatorHyde DLX 90 at a specified film thickness of no less than 4mm as determined by the manufacturer, CHEMLINE, Inc.

According to Murray, everything was going smooth until an unexpected rain shower hit the job site on day 1. Of course it just had to be right after the surface preparation process was complete and flash rust appeared. No big deal, quoted Murray, that kind of thing all the time here in New Zealand, you just need to be prepared that all! The rest of the installation went without any major hitches and the job was completed in 6 days rather than the projected 5 day time frame. The only reason we were one day late in completing the project on time, according to Nick Segbers the onsite Technical Sales Representative for CHEMLINE, Inc. was the first day we had the rain storm.

The Customer, Oceana Gold, CHEMLINE, Inc. and Applied Conveyor all agreed the project was a success and as a result the company has scheduled the next two tanks to be coated in July of 2011.

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