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B2-313

Session 2004
CIGR

CORROSION PROTECTION OF STEEL TOWERS AND CAMOUFLAGE OF LINES USING THE DUPLEX-SYSTEM Herbert LUGSCHITZ * Austrian Power Grid AG (Austria)

Anton ERNST, Thomas GROS Hagentaler (Austria)

Corrosion protection of steel towers using the DUPLEX-System is a relatively new method in the transmission line business, whereas this principle has been used successfully for decades for other purposes. The idea is to coat galvanized tower members as soon as possible after their production to use synergetic effects from zinc and the coating material. As a result, the lifetime of the protection against corrosion can be extended up to 40 - 50 years depending on the environmental conditions. Another big advantage is that the towers can be camouflaged in the appropriate colour to blend into the environment. Also the shining effect of new galvanized towers can be prevented. Two methods shall be distinguished: i) the in-factory-DUPLEX-coating where members are coated in the factory immediately after galvanizing before mounting and ii) the DUPLEXcoating on completely mounted towers where the structures are coated as soon as possible after their erection. Both methods are proven and reliable principles for corrosion protection. Austrian Power Grid (APG) sees advantages in the DUPLEX-in-factory-coating and has been using this method successfully as protection for its steel structures since 1983. This contribution therefore concentrates on the in-factory-coating. Keywords: transmission towers corrosion protection DUPLEX coating in factory coating camouflage of lines

1. BACKGROUND
The lifetime of a transmission line may reach 70 to 100 years, proper maintenance provided. Within this time some elements need to be changed (maybe earth wires, conductors, clamps), others need refurbishment (foundations, earthing grid). In most cases steel towers need protection against corrosion. Hot dip galvanizing is a common method for such protection. The galvanizing material does not last forever and after a certain period of time coating of the structures on site becomes necessary (maintenance coating). _________________________ [email protected]

A new way to extend the intervals and to reduce the costs of maintenance coating is to paint the galvanized steel members as soon as possible after galvanizing. If this is done in the factory, this is the so called in-factory-DUPLEX-method. [1] The decision of APG in the year 1983 to use the in-factory-DUPLEX System was triggered by three facts:
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former used coating materials were to be replaced by more environmental friendly materials maintenance costs were to be reduced out of service times of lines for maintenance coating were to be reduced.

APG uses the wet coating method where liquid materials are applied. This is explained in the present contribution. The application of the DUPLEX system allows decades of smooth operation of such line structures. The history of coating methods in APGs grid over the years is given in table 1 and is representative for many other utilities. Table 1: History of protection methods in APGs grid over the decades
till 1955 since 1955 1983 1984 1985 - 1993 1989-1993 1993-2003 Unprotected towers delivered. Material containing oil-minium applicated on erected towers on site immediately after erection (two coatings) Galvanized towers delivered, no additional coating after erection. First maintenance coating 15-20 years after installation, periodical treatment First attempt of in-factory DUPLEX-coating (10 towers coated) using solventcontaining materials First large-size test-application of in-factory DUPLEX-coating several lines in-factory DUPLEX coated with solvent-containing material tests with water-soluble materials several lines in-factory DUPLEX coated with water-soluble material

2. THE PRINCIPLE OF DUPLEX-COATING

DUPLEX-coating means that newly hot-dip-galvanized steel parts are coated with an appropriate material immediately after galvanizing. This leads to a synergetic effect between the zinc and the coating material which results in a protection factor of 1.5. The lifetime of the protection of DUPLEX coated materials therefore increases by 1.5 compared with the standard measures. As a result of environmental protection measures in Central Europe the quality of air improved remarkably during the last decades. Due to this the reduction factor for the coating material (and for the zinc coating as well) decreased. The coating nowadays lasts longer than in former decades and conclusions from the 1960s may not be directly applied to decisions to be taken in 2004. To reach the desired lifetime of the protection of 40-50 years a dry layer thickness of 70m shall be achieved if a reduction of 5 m per year is assumed. This leads to a wet material thickness of app. 150 m.

3. IN-FACTORY-DUPLEX-COATING
3.1 Experience of APG with in-factory-DUPLEX-coating APG decided in 1983 to test the coating on some 380kV-towers. The results were very encouraging and this method was adopted as standard protection method for newly erected lines. Table 2: Overview on coating of APGs transmission line towers following the in-factory DUPLEX-System
Year 1983 1984 1984 1985 1989 1989 1990 1995 1997 - 2003 total 1984-2003 number of in-factory DUPLEX-coated towers 10 385 11 370 107 24 118 228 344 1275 m2 coating 6.470 m2 220.000 m2 7.500 m2 208.000 m2. 66.500 m2 22.000 m2 68.700 m2 173.000 m2 266.440 m2 1.041.500 m2

coating material solvent-containing solvent-containing solvent-containing solvent-containing solvent-containing solvent-containing solvent-containing water-soluble water-soluble

All parts of the towers are coated except the joint plates, bolts and the parts of the tower legs which are in the concrete foundations. The reasons behind are economic ones (tower legs) and too complicated processes for small parts (joint plates). Test were carried out to find out if the coating on tower legs reduces the adhesion in the foundations but no reduction was found. Uncoated joint plates can be mounted easier. They are coated on site after mounting with little effort during the securing works for the bolts and nuts. To guarantee an undisturbed electric connection with the ground potential it is important not to exceed a certain given resistance at the connecting plates and members. This is provided with a suitable coating material in the desired thickness. The roughness of the galvanized surface is sufficient to penetrate the coating material and to provide the electric contact. Aircraft warning coating in red and white colour needs to be stable against ultra-violet light. These materials are special mixtures and need additives to achieve the appropriate electric conductivity. Picture 1: joint plates are coated on site after complete erection of the towers

3.2 The in-factory-coating process To guarantee a good adhesion of the coating, the hot-dip-galvanizing process for in-factorycoating may not use after-treatment with chrome, phosphates or oil. This means that such galvanized parts need to be coated within few days in order to prevent oxidation of the surfaces. All coating works are carried out inside the factory which allows complete independence from the weather. This guarantees defined conditions to reach high quality, good adhesion and reduced losses of coating material. Risks as they often occur when outdoor objects are coated (e.g. too high humidity or too low object temperature) can be completely eliminated. Before coating the parts need sweeping which is a kind of very soft sandblasting using korund or granulate from refined steel. The abrasion is app.10 m and guarantees that the surface is free from any pollution from transport or storage. The coating material is applied by means of AIRLESS coating. It is done by hand. The experience with coating machines was poor as they did not work sufficiently reliable and less economically. The application by hand brought much better results and higher reliability. After coating the material needs drying in the factory over app. 24 hours. During this time the temperature may not fall below +10 degree centigrade and the humidity may not exceed 75%. APG sees the following advantages for the in-factory-method: independent from the weather conditions (temperature, humidity, etc.) independent from the season (can be done all over the year) constant thickness of applied material constant quality (can be checked and controlled easily) if necessary 24 hours production per day no pollution of soil and air no extra out of service time for the lines 3.3 Shipping and mounting of in-factory-coated members After the drying process the coated parts are stapled. They are separated by angles of aluminium-coated cardboard to prevent damages. The weight of the bundles may not be too high in order not to squeeze the coating material. The handling on site needs few additional considerations in order not to damage the coating. Of course some minor damages cannot be prevented and must be repaired by the contractor. This can be done without much effort at the same time with the securing works of the bolts. Picture 2: staple of coated tower members ready to be transported on site

3.4 Costs for in-factory-DUPLEX-coating Based on prices including all necessary extra works (sorting, sweeping, coating, storage for drying as well as preparation for transport to the construction site and the necessary coating material) the additional costs for the in-factory-DUPLEX-coating amounts to approx. 2.5 % of total costs of a line(including towers, foundations, conductors, hardware, compensation, erection works, etc.). This must be balanced against the savings from reduced maintenance coatings. The defined and constant conditions during the coating process allow the elimination of many uncertainties compared with the coating on site (e.g. weather, time needed for coating, quality) and therefore allows a precise estimation of costs. The savings depend highly on the envisaged lifetime of a line and on the grade of aggressive atmosphere. As a very general and rough estimation the reduction of costs for corrosion protection can be calculated as given in table 3. Table 3: reduction of costs for corrosion protection due to DUPLEX-System (based on prices of date of erection)
estimated lifetime of towers 50 years 100 years 120 years app. cost reduction for protection due to DUPLEX 50 % 17 % 13 %

3.5 Environmental advantages from in-factory-coating According to the experience of APG so far the period of time till the first maintenance coating may be estimated with 40 to 50 years. Under the same environmental conditions this is much longer than for traditional protection methods. The hot-dip-galvanizing process for in-factory-coating shall not use aftertreatment with chrome, phosphate or oil, and therefore reduces the pollution with those materials. The pollution during the in-factory-process is considerably reduced as it is a closed process. If water soluble materials are used, no solvents pollute the environment.

4. DUPLEX-COATING ON SITE
As mentioned above another method for DUPLEX coating is to coat the mounted and erected structures on site. The measures to be taken during the works are well known from maintenance coating and range from protection of land around the towers, compensation payments to landowners, cleaning work before coating, etc. The coating works are normally done by hand and highly depend on the weather conditions and the season as well as on the possibilities to take lines out of service. The variable length of day may influence the progress of the works.

5. CAMOUFLAGE OF LINES
Overhead lines are technical objects in the landscape and are under discussion in many cases. Many methods and approaches have been developed worldwide to get more acceptance from the public. One of this methods is to camouflage lines to blend into the environment and is explained in [2]. It was found that the visibility of overhead lines and the impression on the general public can be reduced if they are coated in an appropriate colour [3]. In some regions it has become a precondition to get the permission for building a line to coat the towers in the desired colour. Often the shining effects from newly erected galvanized towers disturbs landowners and it takes years till this effect is naturally reduced. If towers are coated using the DUPLEX-method they are camouflaged from the first moment of their erection. If not, the next possibility to coat the towers will be at the first maintenance coating which can be decades after installation.

6. REFERENCES
[1] A. Ernst, Corrosion protection of lattice steel towers by the in-factory-DUPLEXsystem Langlebiger Korrosionsschutz von Stahlgittermasten durch stabweise Anwendung des DUPLEX-Systems [sterreichische Zeitschrift fr Elektrotechnik, Jg. 42, December 1989, Vienna] H. Egger, H. Lugschitz, Experience with a 380 kV Camouflage Line [Cigr 1998, 22/33/36-04 ] E. Gehmacher, A. Piereder-Hagen, NANU- Natures Non-Economic Utilization Measuring the psychological and ecological impact of technical constructions with natural landscapes: The case of electrical overhead lines [Forschung im Verbund, Issue 34, 1998, Vienna]

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