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Journal of Polymer & Composites Original Research

Application of Thermal Spray Coatings for Corrosion Control in Oil and Gas Refineries

  1. Urvesh Vala Department of Material Engineering and Technology, L&T Energy Hydrocarbon Onshore, L&T Knowledge City, Vadodara
  2. I.B. Dave Department of Metallurgy Engineering, Government Engineering College, Sector-28, Gandhinagar

Abstract

In today’s context, Thermal Spray Coating (TSC) has emerged as a highly durable and reliable alternative to traditional Hot-Dip Galvanizing (HDG). It is increasingly being adopted for both new and existing industrial structures due to its long-lasting protection—often exceeding 25 years—while requiring little to no maintenance. Unlike HDG, which cannot be welded on-site and often poses challenges with repair methods such as liquid coating or cold spray, TSC offers greater flexibility. It can be safely applied, repaired, and maintained directly at the site, making it a more practical solution. Many industry standards and customer specifications now recognize TSC as a viable replacement for HDG. TSC provides robust anti-corrosion protection for onshore and offshore structures, pipelines, and equipment. It is the only coating system endorsed by international codes and standards to deliver a service life of more than 25 years before its first maintenance cycle, even in harsh environments such as offshore platforms where corrosion risk is extremely high. This paper compares Thermal Spray Metallic Coating with conventional HDG and highlights its superior benefits. TSC can be applied using multiple processes, including Arc Spray, Flame Spray, High Velocity Oxygen Fuel (HVOF), High Velocity Air Fuel (HVAF), Atmospheric Plasma Spray, Vacuum Plasma Spray, and Cold Spray, among others. These methods allow cost optimization across diverse industries such as oil and gas, petrochemicals, marine, shipping, and power generation—including nuclear facilities. The coating can be formulated with different filler materials—ranging from pure metals and alloys to ceramics and composites—in wire or powder form. Furthermore, TSC can be applied to both metallic and non-metallic substrates, with minimal surface preparation depending on the required coating thickness.

Keywords

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