Power Through the Elements with Dura-Plate 301W

Performing coatings maintenance on steel assets across the oil and gas, marine, offshore, infrastructure and industrial sectors is challenging enough in perfect conditions. 

Yet the European winter brings its own unique conditions that threaten to thwart crucial maintenance plans – increasing costs, and downtime, introducing uncertainty into daily schedules, and leaving operations at the mercy of the weather.  

Traditional coatings systems struggle with the low temperatures and high humidity of   the cold and damp winter months bring, and this limits the durability and expected lifespan of new coatings systems. And should the conditions worsen while the maintenance work is in progress, the risk of incomplete curing increases dramatically, potentially leading to early failure. On cold or damp days, the environmental conditions frequently fall outside the required application criteria for coating systems. Maintenance work grinds to a halt and there is no choice but to watch and wait, regardless of the operational impact and the extra costs that can build up. 

The condition of the asset presents more challenges. Existing damaged coatings need to be removed, and the substrate underneath may have lost its roughness profile from the original abrasive blasting surface preparation. If using Ultra High Pressure (UHP) water jetting as surface preparation method, the resulting bare metal surfaces may be very smooth with low roughness profile and flash rust may form rapidly even in mild damp conditions. Unconventional substrate conditions like these can greatly impact the effective adhesion of new coatings systems, resulting in premature failures and costly further maintenance later down the line. 

Meanwhile, application teams need to navigate complex geometry on site. Asset features like pipes, valves and confined spaces all make it difficult for teams to manoeuvre and ensure the new coating is applied evenly and effectively across every inch of your asset’s surface. That’s why Sherwin-Williams developed Dura-Plate® 301W, our groundbreaking epoxy maintenance coating designed to provide the robustness and versatility needed to regain control over winter maintenance works.  

Offering a unique combination of features, Dura-Plate 301W is highly tolerant to temperature, humidity and less-than-perfect surface conditions. Its game-changing cold curing technology enables application at temperatures as low as 0°C without dew point restrictions, extending maintenance windows. 

High surface tolerance enables application over damp or flash-rusted steel, with high adhesion over low surface profile roughness.  Surfaces can be prepared with ultra-high pressure water jetting for a cleaner, safer surface preparation process compared to abrasive blast cleaning. Application with airless spray equipment, brush or roller allows applicators to adapt to the specific on-site conditions for a fast and easy application process. All these benefits empower asset owners to reduce downtime and the lower costs of corrosion protection maintenance, while offering long term durability and corrosion protection.  

Dura-Plate 301W is ideal for use on a wide range of assets including offshore platforms, ships, steel bridges, refineries and storage tanks, including tank roofs thanks to its high flexibility with 4% average elongation. 

Over 15 million square metres of steel have been protected with the Dura-Plate 301 series.

Start a conversation with a member of our team today and discover how Dura-Plate 301W can transform your maintenance operations in the colder months and beyond.