Industrial Coatings and Access provides expert industrial fabric maintenance services across a range of sectors, including oil and gas.
The company prioritises extensive preparation before each project to guarantee all work proceeds safely, on schedule and within budget.
Formed by Managing Director Tom Whittleton, Industrial Coatings and Access (ICA) capitalises on Mr Whittleton’s extensive international experience in surface preparation, coating application and access solutions. This experience allows the company to deliver a range of specified coating tasks, with a focus on safety and quality of execution.
Surface preparation
Surface preparation is the process of treating the surface of a substance to increase its adhesion to coatings. The most important function that influences coating performance is the quality of this surface preparation, which can be done mechanically or chemically.
ICA supplies competent and qualified specialist resources to fulfil all methods of surface preparation and the use of applicable equipment on projects of new-build construction, full or partial refurbishment fabric maintenance, shutdown or turnaround and other campaigns. The company can perform slurry blasting, dry abrasive blasting, hydro blasting, eco-vapour blasting, mechanical preparation and hand preparation.
ICA says it delivers the best value asset protection while consistently minimising risk to workers, the environment and process disruption.
Coating applications
ICA supplies expert coating application and specialist coating applicators using equipment and techniques to suit each specific job. The company can provide a range of applications, including single component coatings, multi-component coatings, fireproofing, thermal spray, heavy duty screed coatings and many more.
ICA’s equipment range is just as extensive, providing expertise implementation of airless spraying, conventional spraying, air-assisted spraying, thermal spraying and more. The company’s commitment to health and safety across all projects separates it from the pack, and clients know ICA will always provide a dedicated and thorough service to any project.
Technology
ICA uses OAK-COAT™ pipeline protection technology – a three-part wet lay-up protective composite coating system, designed as a unique reinforced turnkey solution to protect critical and high-value infrastructure from the rigours of abrasive processes and corrosive environments. OAK-COAT provides lifetime protection against carbon-based sulphides and hazardous down-hole chemical gasses, such as NH3, H2S and H2CO3, and also prevents corrosion, erosion and abrasion on new and existing buried pipe sections including road crossings, production tubing, drill casings, sleeves and transmissions.
OAK-COAT can be further reinforced by using carbon fibre as an alternative to fibreglass to enhance protection characteristics for application in abrasive environments. The technology can be applied for external corrosion protection, abrasion resistance overlay, down-hole protection, girth wield protection and both onshore and offshore pipeline protection.
Passive fire protection
Continuing its focus on safety of both personnel and assets, ICA’s approved applicators are suitable for a range of passive fire protection (PFP) products and services. PFP is about containing the fire while active fire protection is about stopping the fire, as – while the systems work independently – both systems need to be functioning properly to suppress and stop a fire.
ICA possesses in-house technical knowledge that allows it to advise clients on how to best achieve their required specifications in the most cost-efficient manner.
Working with established manufacturers and suppliers, ICA manages every stage of a client’s project from product selection, installation and application. The company has been experienced in a number of PFP application projects over the last few years in oil and gas, industrial and petrochemical environments.
Inspections and personnel
ICA uses certified competent managerial and inspection personnel from NACE, ICorr and IRATA to ensure the highest quality of work. The company’s NACE/ICORR certified coating inspectors have the capability to carry out specification review, fault diagnosis and third-party inspections.
ICA inspectors and managerial personnel can undertake all project management, quality control and assurance deliverables of any new-build project or refurbishment project. The company also offers full and partial asset surveys to record the visible external corrosion based on the RI or RE scale of risk-based surveys of the asset’s safety case, both onshore and offshore.
ICA is additionally in the process of developing relationships with industry recognised fixed access solution companies within Australia. It can supply certified rope access specialist personnel to undertake any survey or inspection, and tradespersons for surface preparation and coating application projects.
The company re-invests heavily in upskilling its operative teams that in turn bring added value to clients. ICA has also invested significantly in the V-Deck Suspended Platform System, which has multiple applications, with enormous safety and productivity advantages.
Being lightweight and made from high strength materials, it is a great choice to achieve cost effective working at heights on any project. ICA continues to be committed to delivering a service with quality standards and effective solutions, providing cost-effective work for clients safely on and on schedule.
This article was featured in the October 2020 edition of The Australian Pipeliner. To view the magazine on your PC, Mac, tablet or mobile device, click here.
For more information visit the ICA website.
If you have news you would like featured in The Australian Pipeliner contact Managing Editor David Convery at dconvery@gs-press.com.au