Corrosion Insurance:

Gel technology fights CUI

on ammonia refrigeration piping
By Tony Garone, Marketing Director, Polyguard

It’s every refrigeration engineer’s nightmare.

In an ammonia refrigeration system, corrosion under insulation (CUI) can weaken the walls of steel and
stainless pipes under cover of insulation. This sneak attack can go on for years, until the integrity of
the pipe is undermined—ending in disaster if not caught in time by regular inspections.

Ultimately, a leak caused by corrosion on a pipe can lead to a cloud of toxic ammonia gas. If not
dispersed quickly by air currents, it can severely damage the lungs, burn the skin, and cause blindness.
It can be fatal if inhaled. If intense heat and pressure are present, the flammable gas could explode,
possibly causing injury or death. Nearby areas may need to be evacuated. And beyond these safety and
environmental concerns, the cost of shutting down a business for repairs to the pipes and insulation
must also be considered.

Steel refrigeration pipes carrying ammonia are fitted with insulation to maintain the cold temperature
of the product. Over the insulation, a waterproof vapor barrier protects from outside moisture, followed
by a sheet-metal jacket. Over time, water may leak through the jacket, penetrating the vapor barrier
and insulation to reach the surface of the pipe. And any water trapped beneath the jacket won’t be
able to escape.

In addition, because of the large temperature difference between the cold liquid in the pipes—usually
around minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit—and the much warmer ambient air, condensation is highly likely.
Even worse, ammonia refrigeration systems tend to cycle the temperatures, making condensation on
the pipes even more likely.

A Recipe for Corrosion

Corrosion, or rust, is caused by a series of electro-chemical reactions between the iron atoms in the
pipe and the hydrogen and oxygen ions in the water. The four ingredients needed for corrosion to
occur in steel piping include:

• An anode—an area that sheds electrons

• A cathode—an area that attracts electrons
• An electrical path connecting the anode and cathode
• An electrolyte—a source of ions that can transport electric charge, such as water

The first three ingredients are already present in the steel, due to its material properties. Any water that
reaches the surface of the pipe provides the last ingredient necessary to spark corrosion.
An Insurance Policy
Anti-corrosion Reactive Gel
In an ideal world, an engineer can design an Technology: How it works
ammonia refrigeration system with the proper
amount of insulation, covered with a vapor barrier Specially formulated anti-corrosion gels
and/or jacket so that no further protection is work in three ways:
necessary. But the odds of creating a 100 percent
reliable moisture barrier that will last for years, 1. Barrier system – The gels have great
especially in the construction industry, are not adhesion characteristics and are
good. When water inevitably penetrates through hydrophobic to prevent moisture from
leaks in the jacket to the insulation and down to
reaching the metal surface.
the metal pipe surface, corrosion leading to a
2. Buffering system – Any moisture that
breach could eventually result.
penetrates the gel will be buffered to a
high pH which protects the steel piping
For these reasons, savvy engineers look to a
corrosion protection product as an insurance from corrosion.
policy. Like any other insurance policy, you don’t 3. Mineralization – The gel’s patented
need it until you need it—but when you need it, composition reacts with the surface
it’s already in place. As a result, more and more of the metal substrate to grow an
engineers are choosing to specify some type of integrated mineralized surface layer.
corrosion protection product. This thin glasslike layer acts as a
barrier between chlorides and the
metal, which helps resist corrosion
Corrosion Protection Methods
if moisture does reach the surface.
Historically, engineers have tackled the problem
of CUI using a variety of techniques. One common
method was wrapping bare pipes with a spiral
fabric impregnated with petroleum jelly—known
as a “grease tape.” However, the inexpensive
tape tends to break down quickly, leaving pipes
vulnerable to moisture, while its added bulk
increases the cost of insulation required for
coverage.

A more effective level of protection can be

obtained using silicon or epoxy technologies,
some of which can be pre-installed on new pipe.

Epoxy paint is a low-cost method for preventing

CUI when calculated on a per-gallon basis. But
when used in retrofit applications, the cost of When the ferrous (steel) surface (1) is covered with
installation is significantly higher. To apply epoxy a layer of gel (2), the metal reacts with components
on installed pipe with pre-existing corrosion, the in the gel to form a protective mineral layer (3) with
refrigeration system must be shut down—with an a thickness of only 50-200 angstroms.
associated cost due to loss of production. The
pipe must be sandblasted to remove all evidence
of corrosion down to bare metal. It then must be the timeline. All these factors add up to a much
painted with two or three coats of epoxy, allowing higher system cost for the epoxy paint method of
the pipe to dry in between coats—adding days to corrosion protection.
Gel Technology
Another corrosion protection method used by many food processing plants is gel pipe coating. These
coatings have gained in popularity due to their high-quality performance and ease of application.

Gel coatings are non-toxic and safe for the environment. They can be applied by hand, using a gaged
trowel to maintain the specified thickness. They can also be brushed or sprayed on. Gels remain sticky
to the touch after application, and do not require a drying period before insulation is added to cover
the pipe.

Pipe gel technologies come in two general categories—reactive gel (RG) and synthetic petroleum
hydrocarbons with thickeners (SPHT).

Though they are used on pipes in some cases, SPHT coatings were designed for use as gear and
chain grease type lubricants, rather than as a CUI coating. In contrast, RGs are anti-corrosion products
primarily designed to be used in CUI applications.

Reactive gels are specially formulated and patented to react chemically with the steel pipe, creating
a mineralization layer that becomes an integral part of the pipe’s surface. This prevents undercutting,
where moisture seeps under the coating and begins the corrosion process (see sidebar).

Evaluation Factors
The safety aspect of ammonia refrigeration is a critical topic in the food and beverage processing
industry. Wherever ammonia piping gets used in any freezer or cooling operation, system integrity and
worker safety are important considerations. As a result, engineers will need to closely evaluate certain
factors when choosing a gel technology.

Fig. 1 Fig. 2
RG and SPHT products are made using different technologies and differ significantly in performance
characteristics, as demonstrated in their performance histories, laboratory testing and field
application trials.

Basic characteristics of a good CUI coating include:

• Thermal stability
• Water wash-off resistance
• Corrosion protection

An independent lab tested both types of products for thermal stability at 240°F. The products were
applied within the manufacturer’s specified thickness range of 25-27 mils to cold-rolled steel (CRS)
panels (see Figs. 1 and 2). After 24 hours at 240°F the photos show the degradation of the SPHT
product, while the RG product showed little to no change in physical appearance.

In the case of CUI, any water leaking into the system could cause the protective gel to wash off the
pipe—known as water wash-off. SPHT products will be much less resistant to water-wash off because
they have a much lower specific gravity than RG and are less dense than water:

• Water = 1.00
• Typical Synthetic Petroleum Hydrocarbon with Thickeners = 0.85 – 0.95.
• Typical Reactive Gel = 0.98 – 1.08

Corrosion Testing
Corrosion engineers world-wide use the ASTM B-117 test to assess the laboratory performance of
anti-corrosion coatings and compare product performance. Following these guidelines in a test to
show resistance to edge undercutting, an independent lab covered CRS panels covered with either
RG or SPHT to a thickness of 25 – 27 mils with an ‘X’ scribe in the coating. After 504 hours, the results
can be seen in Figs. 3, 4 and 5.

Fig. 3 Fig. 4 Fig. 5

Fig. 6

In actual field performance of gel products, a leading manufacturer of SPHT reported exposing a
pipe to the coastal elements of Florida for one month, with no corrosion forming (Fig. 6). However,
no SPHT products have a documented record of long-term success in mitigating corrosion, and
specifically CUI.

Fig. 7 Fig. 8 Fig. 9

Fig. 10

Reactive gel has been tested in a saltwater immersion test where pipes were coated, covered with
fiberglass insulation, and submerged in 5% aerated saltwater for 2 years (see Figs. 7, 8, 9, and 10).

In addition, RG technology has 40 years of performance history in preventing corrosion in the auto
industry and on U.S. Navy vessels in highly corrosive salt-air environments. RG Technology has over
10 years of specific experience in mitigating CUI in the food & beverage Industry as well as the oil
industry on the Alaskan North Slope.

In conclusion, lab and field testing, as well as historical performance in the field, have shown that
reactive gel technology outperforms synthetic petroleum hydrocarbons with thickeners in protecting
steel pipes and preventing corrosion under insulation for ammonia refrigeration piping systems.
About Polyguard
Polyguard manufactures RG-2400, a gel product designed specifically for use on ammonia refrigeration
piping to prevent CUI. Its relatively low level of surface preparation compares favorably with the installed
cost of an epoxy paint, including the material and labor. In both laboratory and field tests, RG-2400
surpassed the efficacy of synthetic petroleum hydrocarbons with thickeners (SPHT) in preventing CUI
for ammonia refrigeration piping systems.