PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION

NACE SAN ANTONIO MARCH 2014 


A NACE conference is a good place to meet and make friends, meet up with colleagues, to teach and to learn something new. For those of you that are not familiar with the organisation, it was established in the US, in 1943 by eleven corrosion engineers from the pipeline industry as the “National Association of Corrosion Engineers.” The founding engineers were originally part of a regional group formed in the 1930s when the study of cathodic protection was introduced. Since then, NACE International has become a global leader in developing corrosion prevention and control standards, certification and education. Alocit and Enviropeel have enjoyed a long association with NACE and have enjoyed several years of successful exhibiting and presenting papers in the US as well as in China and Japan.

This year's conference was very well attended and made an excellent arena for the debut of a new exhibition stand, seen in various stages of construction on the right. The top two images show Ivan Hess and Kenny Boehm of Enviropeel USA (our US partners) helping out with the construction while the middle image shows the completed stand just before the exhibition opened. Below, A&E Group CEO joins with Ivan in talking to an attendee while two other groups admire the colourful pipe display sent over to San Antonio from the Group's project team in Malaysia.

This year, many visitors sought our booth out as they had specific interest in Alocit or Enviropeel, which was a change from previous years when many visitors had never seen our products before. Visitors to the stand included representatives from Chevron, Shell, Conoco Phillips, Denso, Anadarko, American Electric Power, BP, Valero, Phillips 66, Mosaic, and Occidental as well as several smaller companies, including service companies, consultants and end users who were also attracted by the unique qualities of Alocit and Enviropeel.

San Antonio is a beautiful city and the conference was well organised, my thanks to everybody that was involved in making the Conference such a success.

BRING ON THE HEAT, THE SALT AND THE FOG ...

More good news from our Technical Department

Last month we spoke about the progress of the ASTM B117 hot salt fog test and the part it plays in providing some of the technical background to all that we say about Enviropeel's ability to prevent corrosion - and we presented the 4500 hour report last year for your information.

Still going strong at 7500 hours

Now we have removed another sample flange from the hot salt fog cabinet at 7500 hours and we couldn't be happier with the result. 

As you can see in the photograph, there is a marked deterioration in the control flange but the only difference that is visible between the six month and the nine month Enviropeel protected flanges is an increase in corrosion outside the protected area, on the sealing cap that prevents the corrosion that would occur if the pipe end was left open.

You can link to the original report here: ASTM 4500 hrs

Link to the 7500 hour update here: ASTM 7500 hr update

THE YEAR OF THE HORSE

The start of a new year is an opportunity for reflection, renewal and celebration. As a business with many Chinese friends and colleagues, we have been able to share the spirit of the occasion and look forward, as they do, to the 'Year of the Horse'.

We are told to expect rapid progress, good communication and positivity, but also the possibility of conflict, as this is a year in which people may be less willing to compromise on their principals. Let's hope we can all agree on what principals we should be sticking to!

TECHNICAL PAPERS & EXHIBITIONS

Friends of Alocit and Enviropeel will know that we have been long-term supporters of NACE Corrosion Expos and other technical conferences. We have presented papers at many of them over the years and have plans on the table for a number of conferences in 2014. Already confirmed are two NACE exhibitions: San Diego in March and Beijing in May.

CORROSION 2014 - 9-13 March - Stand 1747

For Corrosion 2014 in San Antonio we are working with our Indiana-based US partners - EnviropeelUSA - who are Master Distributors for the whole of the Americas, from Canada to Argentina. EUSA President, Kenny Boehm, who has been digging himself and his neighbours out of the snow recently, is hoping that Texas will have warmed up a little by March. Visit us on stand 1747 where we will be happy to answer your questions on our products - or just share a cup of coffee and talk about the weather!

SINOCORR 2014 - 19-22 MAY - Stand D02

'All the proofe of a pudding, is in the eating' (William Camden 1605)

In Beijing, as well as exhibiting, A&E are presenting two papers: one each for Alocit and Enviropeel, both looking at the background to the Group's long-term testing regime. We have written previously about Enviropeel ASTM B117 testing in our blog, back in November, but 3000 hours have passed since the last report and by May it will have been over a year - 8766 hours. With long-term UV and deluge testing as well as a range of background information, the Enviropeel paper will have plenty of detail for conference attendees to digest.

For both Alocit and Enviropeel, because they are problem-solving coatings working in difficult environments, selecting the most appropriate testing regime is vital. For the Alocit presentation, we look at the these problems in the context of our experience in the field and how testing can lead to new developments in substrate protection.

So, while we fully agree with William Camden that the best way to prove a product is to try it, it can also be useful to provide some facts and figures too!

LET IT SNOW ...

F-F-F-Freezing in Indianapolis

Kenny Boehm, CEO of EUSA is feeling the cold. It's -12°F in Indianapolis and the streets are covered in snow. That's 24 degrees below zero in new money - and that is really cold. He sent us a pic of the street outside his warehouse, a few blocks from downtown Indianapolis.

So, if you're on the other side of the world and sitting in front of an AC unit complaining about the heat, spare a thought for the mid-west!

Our man in Havana

Most people have some kind of vision of Cuba - a great place for a change of culture with fabulous old cars, vibrant locations and great music. But it might not seem the obvious place to find Enviropeel, even though we have already worked extensively in the Caribbean on LPG carriers travelling between Trinidad and Venezuela, as well as on Trinidad itself.

Yet Cuba has its own oil and gas industry despite the long-standing US embargo, and now, following an enquiry from a Canadian oil and gas company with extensive interests in the region, it has Enviropeel too!

Working on an island in a humid, salty environment, the company was seeking a solution to corrosion problems with bolting on its wellheads. Following extensive research, it was decided that Enviropeel seemed to be just the product they needed.

As well as standard grey material, special batches of red and blue were manufactured in the UK and shipped to Cuba, together with a small mobile Enviropeel unit. Technical Director, Simon Haycox, travelled from Malaysia to Cuba (a very long journey) to survey and advise on corrosion control using Enviropeel, train local personnel and complete a number of successful initial applications.

Break in Transmission

Sometimes things just catch up with you ....

They certainly did this December. Instead of sending out a variety of cheery stories about our progress in Dubai, recognition of Alocit in Oman and our plans for 2014, I found myself laid low by a particularly tenacious travel virus, that was almost immediately followed by a viral attack on our email system that is still affecting communications within the Group.
So apologies for our lack of communication.

Today is Christmas Eve

Based as I am, in the UK, Christmas is a big deal. If you have to put up with snow, rain, sleet, fog, wind and only 8 hours of what passes for daylight for three months - you need something to brighten the gloom! 

Throughout history, the winter solstice has been used as an excuse for a party, so it is with this holiday spirit that I wish everybody who reads this all the best for the New Year and, if you are lucky enough to enjoy a holiday break, take full advantage of the opportunity to relax and prepare for 2014.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!