MAGNA-Coat product extends service life of HVAC cooling towers
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Bayer's Baytec SPR holds harsh environments at bay
Customers save big with MAGNA-Coat
Keeping people comfortable—through heat waves, blizzards and every temperature in between—remains a primary concern for facilities managers and requires regular attention to a building's heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system. This also includes cooling towers often used in conjunction with these industrial systems.
To battle corrosion, premature deterioration and costly replacement, MAGNA-Coat Industrial Coatings (Georgetown, TX) recently developed an effective and less expensive alternative. MAGNA-Coat can greatly extend the life span of new and existing cooling towers by spraying the inside of towers with elastomeric polyurethane materials from Bayer Corporation (Pittsburgh, PA).
The result, said Mike Swearingen, president of MAGNA-Coat—significant cost savings and fewer headaches for building owners and managers.
Bayer's Baytec SPR holds harsh environments at bay
With 25 years of experience in the industrial HVAC industry, Swearingen said his company knows just how quickly the insides of cooling towers corrode. And, he said, past attempts to protect towers showed mixed results in part because the linings used had difficulty withstanding the harsh conditions inside the tower and adhering for an extended period of time.
Swearingen said MAGNA-Coat experimented with several polyurethane products, surface preparation techniques and spraying conditions. He found the optimum material solution in the Baytec SPR polyurethane spray elastomer system from Bayer's Polyurethanes Division.
With a Shore hardness of at least 66A and added ultraviolet (UV) stabilizers, the Baytec SPR system, is used in spray applications to improve the corrosion, weather and abrasion resistance of metal, concrete, wood and plastic materials. Typical uses include protective layers for wood and industrial surfaces, and liners pipes and tanks.
According to Bayer, the deck of a Norwegian fishing vessel sprayed with the Baytec system in 1967 was still intact and preventing corrosion 17 years later in 1984. In Germany, sheet steel profiles on a sea wall were still in good condition 14 years after they were lined with the Baytec system, even beneath layers of algae and barnacles.
"In addition to its excellent adhesion properties, it is also easier to apply. In fact, I haven't found a polyurethane product that is as forgiving as Baytec SPR in regard to the ambient conditions, such as humidity, dew point and temperature, under which you can spray," Swearingen said.
"And not only does Bayer supply a great product, they also provide me with great technical support," he said. "On a scale of one to 10, they're an 11."
Swearingen said MAGNA-Coat applies the polyurethane elastomer to the inside of new or existing cooling towers using a computerized, metered spraying system equipped with electronic temperature control. While spraying time varies by project, Swearingen said it typically takes three to four hours to coat the inside of a cooling tower. The polyurethane dries to the touch in just a minute or two, and fully cures in about 24 hours.
While the Baytec SPR system remains a constant in the equation, Swearingen evaluates other variables, including tower age, condition and manufacturer on a project-by-project basis, tailoring his proprietary preparation method accordingly. "No two towers are exactly alike," he said.
Customers save big with MAGNA-Coat
According to Swearingen, his polyurethane elastomer lining process can markedly extend the service life of deteriorated cooling towers for about a quarter of the cost of installing a new tower.
Ken Anderson, chief engineer at Regency Office Center in Austin, TX, called upon Swearingen when the complex's 360-ton, two-cell cooling tower started to pit and deteriorate less than six months after installation.
The facility drained the 12-foot-by-15-foot tower, and MAGNA-Coat sprayed the polyurethane elastomer inside. Now, more than a year later, the polyurethane lining is holding up "very well," Anderson said. Anderson expects the lining to extend the life of the tower and save thousands of dollars in the years ahead.
"The beauty of this elastomer system is that you can take something that is rusting and greatly extend its life," Swearingen said, adding that lining the 22-year-old evaporator coil drain pan of the complex's cooling tower is now under consideration.
Swearingen said MAGNA-Coat recently completed this type of project for Dobie Center, a multi-use facility that includes a 30-story dormitory, retail complex and six-story parking garage on the University of Texas campus. The Factory Service arm of Carrier Corporation contacted Swearingen to line the condensate pan for the 30-year-old, air-handling unit in the dormitory's cafeteria.
"In places, the pan was rotted through and was leaking," said Jack Preston, Carrier service manager.
MAGNA-Coat cleaned, patched, and sprayed the pan, saving the Dobie Center the expense of replacing the unit. As a preventive measure, Swearingen said he also sprayed the water basin and associated parts of the two new outside, make-up air units that service the cafeteria's kitchen.
Larry Dougherty, chief facility engineer for Dobie Center, said, "I was especially impressed with how the polyurethane adhered to the corroded pan."
Dougherty said he plans to have MAGNA-Coat apply the Baytec SPR system to the pans for the center's 20-year-old cooling tower during its next scheduled maintenance. "For patching and repairing, I don't think you could find a better product."
For more information of the polyurethane elastomer lining process for cooling towers and other HVAC equipment, contact MAGNA-Coat Industrial Coatings, 6915 Williams Drive, Georgetown, TX, 78628, www.nocorrode.com, 512-930-1608.
For more information specifically on the Baytec SPR polyurethane spray elastomer system, contact Bayer Corporation, Polymers and Chemicals Communications Group, 100 Bayer Road, Pittsburgh, PA, 15205-9741, www.bayer.com/polymers-usa, 800-622-6604.
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