Texas, USA
Summary
A Gulf Coast refinery owner needed to extend the life of a failing process tower by two years. Strategically extending asset life allows operators to manage repairs and replacements on their own schedule – improving safety, reducing costs and maintaining operational continuity. To meet this objective, CSNRI engineered a repair to address external corrosion on a tower slated for future replacement. ThermoWrap MT was selected to extend the tower’s service life by five years, covering the requested two years while providing a buffer for unforeseen delays. By aligning the design life with operational goals, the solution delivered cost efficiency without over-engineering, helping the owner stay on track with asset investment plans.
Benefits
- Extends the life of aging and corroded assets
- Seals leaks
- Restores pipe strength
- Prevents future external corrosion
- Designed for high-temperature, high-pressure environments.
- Operates up to 313oF (156oC)
- Eliminates unplanned down time for high-consequence assets
- Easy installation and rapid curing
- No pipe cutting or welding
- Minimal creep
- No VOCs
Challenge
Given the tower’s essential role and the scale of operations at the facility, shutdown was not an option. The owner required a robust, engineered repair that could be applied in-service to stop active leaks, arrest corrosion, and prevent future moisture and air ingress. The solution needed to withstand up to 310°F, pressures up to 50 psi, — all while delivering a multi-year service life to bridge the gap until a scheduled tower replacement.
Corrosion under insulation (CUI) was most pronounced around the stiffening rings, where moisture was being trapped, leading to scale accumulation and wall degradation. The rings are critical to structural stability; if compromised, the vessel risked buckling inward under atmospheric pressure — a potentially catastrophic failure.
To maintain function of the tower, a durable, engineered repair was required that could:
- Arrest corrosion and prevent future moisture and air ingress
- Be installed without interruption of operations
- Tolerate the thermal, mechanical and chemical conditions typical of a hydrocarbon processing environment
- Deliver a multi-year service life to extend the asset’s use until a scheduled replacement
Solution
ThermoWrap MT was selected for its proven performance in high-temperature, chemically aggressive environments. The CSNRI team engineered a repair, designed in accordance with ISO 24817 and ASME PCC-2 Article 4.1 to ensure full compliance and pressure integrity. With a five-year design life, the solution was tailored to keep the tower in safe operation through its scheduled replacement date.
ThermoWrap MT is used globally in plants, refineries, tank farms, terminals and on offshore assets as a pressure-containing repair to seal leaks, and as a reinforcing repair to restore the strength of a pipe in the axial and circumferential directions. In addition to restoring structural integrity, it is ideal for mitigating future corrosion.
The engineered field-saturated composite repair system uses a proprietary high-modulus fiberglass architecture in conjunction with a patented two-part epoxy system. The thick, non-crimped, glass fiber architecture and nano-tube-enriched resin combine to yield high-strength characteristics. Temperature and chemical resistance, along with the ability to address the corroded area of the tower, made ThermoWrap MT a high-performance choice for this challenging repair.
Application
Localized Bristle blasting, meeting SSPC-SP11 standards for power tool cleaning, was utilized for surface preparation. This method provided a clean, profiled surface for composite adhesion without requiring full abrasive blasting, which was not feasible during in-service conditions. The repair was applied to both the shell wall and stiffening rings. The design specified six layers of ThermoWrap MT on the shell and four layers per ring to restore integrity and arrest corrosion.
The ThermoWrap MT was saturated using CSNRI’s Resinator to ensure optimal resin-to-fiber ratio, avoiding dry spots and oversaturation. Wrapping started two inches inside the primed area and ended two inches before the opposite edge, keeping the wrap fully within the prepared zone.
Installation was handled by alternating six-person crews working day and night shifts with two saturating fabric, one transporting material to the application area and four applying the wrap onsite. Compression film was applied within five minutes of wrap completion, extending slightly beyond the repair area to ensure proper cure and consolidation. The work was completed over several weeks at a pace aligned with the facility owner’s preferred schedule.
Results
ThermoWrap MT was engineered to externally reinforce the tower and restore full structural integrity, enabling the stiffening rings to maintain performance without unplanned downtime. Designed for in-service application, the wrap sealed leaks, stopped ongoing corrosion, and preserved both asset value and operational continuity.
The ThermoWrap MT repair exceeded expectations for pressure and temperature resilience. This project highlighted ThermoWrap MT’s proven capability to deliver durable reinforcement for critical refinery infrastructure under demanding operational environments. Collaboration between CSNRI’s engineering, sales, and training teams ensured full support throughout the project, helping the facility owner to meet demands without interrupting plant operations.
