Williams Station Cooling Tower

The owners have used Tnemec for more than 30 years and were confident that Tnemec coatings would be the best choice for the revamped cooling tower.

When the owner needed to rebuild its existing cooling tower, they knew exactly which coatings they planned to use. Originally coated in 1985 using Tnemec products, the 550 ft. structure lasted over 30 years in the harsh power plant environment. Based on this long-term experience, the owners were confident that Tnemec coatings would be the best choice for the revamped cooling tower.

All riser piping on the structure were retained from the original tower and they were sent to Phillips Industrial Services to be blasted and coated in-shop. The rest of the tower was reconstructed and coatings were applied onsite by the same applicators.

Applicators used Series 215 Surfacing Epoxy to spot-prime and fill pitting. Then, all steel received a prime coat of Tnemec’s single-component, zinc-rich urethane primer, Series 94-H2O Hydro-Zinc, for long-lasting corrosion protection.

Due to the corrosive environment, the owner elected to use an intermediate coat of Series 66HS Hi-Build Epoxoline at 8.0-10.0 mils dry film thickness (DFT). The system then received a topcoat of the time-tested aliphatic acrylic polyurethane, Series 73 Endura-Shield.

williams-station-1 This project was completed during the coldest months of the year, so accelerators were often used to ensure that the coatings cured at the lower temperatures. The cooling tower project was completed while the plant and the tower itself remained in operation. The owner has used Tnemec for more than 30 years and, with the completion of this project, will continue to reap the benefits of Tnemec coating systems for decades to come.