Debunking the Myth that Corrosion is Inevitable

Companies that rely on carbon steel, such as those in the oil & gas industry, often believe that corrosion is unavoidable. Even after investing significantly in corrosion prevention for their steel assets, they know that the protection they have purchased won’t last forever; that eventually, they must deal with the costs of either reapplying preventive methods or addressing corrosion itself.

This is a myth — one that oil & gas companies have been told over and over again. Asset owners are tired of hearing that no matter what anti-corrosion method they invest in, they won’t be able to fully prevent their steel assets from corroding over time.

The truth is, with today’s advanced anti-corrosion methods, corrosion is avoidable. We now have a scientifically proven way to prevent corrosion on your carbon steel assets; and after your initial investment, you don’t need to continue sinking time and money into it, or reapplying and repairing it.

It’s time to dispel the myth.

The Story Behind the Corrosion Myth

The main story behind the corrosion myth, and why it’s so widespread across industries, is actually quite simple: for a long time, it was true.

Until recently, we didn't have any product that could fully prevent corrosion long-term, despite more than a century of studying the causes of pipeline corrosion. Over time, a variety of anti-corrosion methods have been tried, including fiberglass, felt, and asbestos.

Until recently, the most common corrosion prevention methods have included epoxy coatings and cathodic protection. Both methods can delay corrosion in the short term, but neither are strong enough to prevent corrosion over the long term. These traditional methods require the repeated investment of time, money, and resources to continue strengthening, repairing, or fully replacing the protective coating over time.

If you work in the oil & gas industry, you already know that corrosion costs companies dearly. According to estimates by the NACE, corrosion cost the US economy over $1 trillion in 2013 and was estimated to rise to $1.1 trillion by 2016.

How EonCoat is Ending Corrosion

Despite the oil & gas industry’s tough history with corrosion, recent advancements in the industry have put the inevitability of corrosion into question. Companies have turned to EonCoat, which produces a dual-layer spray-applied coating designed to prevent corrosion for the long-term.

How does EonCoat’s product rise above traditional methods to offer long-lasting protection? The difference lies in its dual-layer protection, which allows EonCoat? to alloy the steel, continuously re-phosphate the steel to heal the alloy layer when needed, and overcome the factors that cause other coatings to fail.

EonCoat? Chemically Bonds with Carbon Steel

EonCoat’s patented formula chemically bonds to the surface of carbon steel, forming a 2 micron thick iron phosphate alloy layer. This chemical bond results from the steel coming into contact with the patented formula in EonCoat?. The resulting alloy is the first line of defense, and provides permanent protection against corrosion because the surface of the steel is now passivated and oxygen and moisture can no longer come in contact with it.

EonCoat’s chemical charge causes it to be pulled down into the valleys of the substrate profile, unlike traditional coatings that sit only on the surface. Because EonCoat? chemically becomes part of the steel, there are no coverage gaps. There is no way for corrosion to get “underneath” the stable covalent bond.

EonCoat? is Self-Healing

The next aspect of EonCoat’s formula for success is its second layer — on top of the alloy layer, a 20 mil thick white ceramic layer forms. This ceramic layer is chemically bonded to the iron phosphate alloy layer. The ceramic layer functions as a phosphate reservoir, to continuously re-phosphate the steel and keep the alloy layer intact. The tough, strong ceramic material withstands abrasion, chemicals, and high impact.

The continuous phosphate supply gives EonCoat? its self-healing quality. Because of this, EonCoat? doesn’t need to be re-applied. It requires only one application with minimal downtime and the coating can be applied over flash rust, saving companies in both surface preparation cost and application time.

EonCoat Lasts Where Traditional Coatings Fail

The chemical properties of EonCoat? help companies avoid the common defects found in traditional coatings, including:

• Adhesion failure: The disbondment of traditional barrier coatings when they don’t fully stick to the steel surface. Because EonCoat? chemically bonds to the surface, rather than laying on top of it, adhesion failure isn’t a concern.
• Alligatoring (Crocodiling): The cracking of the outer portion of a coating due to shrinking. EonCoat’s outer ceramic coating, in addition to feeding the inner alloy layer, also fills in all surface gaps for a completely protected steel surface.
• Crazing: Cracking that occurs on the outer portion of a coating, typically due to extreme weather (e.g. cold weather) or overcoating. EonCoat’s two-layer system makes it durable in various environments, from extreme humidity to high-salt environments and more.
• Undercutting: Damage to the steel surface that results when a coating is applied before the surface is properly cleaned of existing corrosion. Before application, EonCoat? requires very minimal surface preparation — there’s no need for white or near-white metal blasts, and no need to remove existing flash rust from the surface. A standard commercial blast is all that is needed.
• Wrinkling: Caused when the outer layer of a protective coating dries while the lower portion remains liquid. Because EonCoat? is applied at a thickness of 20 mils and dries within minutes, the risk of wrinkling is eliminated.

The Corrosion Myth Debunked

Corrosion isn’t inevitable or unavoidable; not anymore. EonCoat's formula has been shown to prevent corrosion long-term, without the need for reapplication. Already, companies in various industries — including China’s Ningbo Xingang Fuel Storage Company and Swedish mines — have turned to EonCoat to improve their operations and protect their assets.

With the introduction of EonCoat?, our long battle with corrosion has an end in sight. Thanks to scientific advancements, the idea that “corrosion is inevitable” has truly become a myth; and those industries that rely on carbon steel assets can finally invest in corrosion prevention that works.