Selection of Organic Coating Systems for Corrosion Protection of Industrial Equipment

The most important element of corrosion protection in industrial conditions is the protective coating system. However, selecting the right coating can often be a real problem due to the sheer number of coating manufacturers and their products on the market. A quantitative approach based on the data mining technique used to analyze the obtained multi-site exposure data has been proposed. This was demonstrated by the example of the selection of a coating system to protect an industrial ball mill located in a hall for the enrichment of copper ore at the Polish company KGHM Polska Miedz S.A. A collection of 21 two-layer coating systems from different manufacturers was tested for one year. Multiple areas on the industrial ball mill, subjected to varying degrees of vibrations and abrasion, were painted. In addition, sets of samples that can be detached from the mill housing were mounted, as well as the set exposed in the hall without vibrations. The condition of the coatings after exposure was assessed using impedance spectroscopy. The obtained data from many different exposure areas were analyzed using principal components analysis (PCA). In this way, the most advantageous coating systems for the specific conditions in the hall were indicated. Additionally, on this basis, the contribution of various destructive factors, including vibrations and abrasion, to the protective properties of the tested coatings, was estimated.