Mitigating Corrosion in the Mining Industry
The Problem
Mining and mineral processing are concerned with a vast range of corrosive media. Mining equipment is subject to high rates of corrosion due to the harsh operating environment and corrosive chemicals. Corrosion will lead to structural failure or loss of containment, and risk to personnel.
Most cases of corrosion are due to electrochemical oxidation of metals in reaction with an oxidant such as oxygen. Dust, moisture, high relative humidity, high temperatures, salt, acids, solvents, and chemicals can accelerate the process of corrosion.
Maintenance, repair and operations costs $15 billion per year in Canada’s mining sector. A significant portion of these high costs can be attributed to corrosion damage. (National Research Council Canada, 2022)
“Industry sectors analyzed for the IMPACT study include energy, transportation, municipal, manufacturing, marine, and mining. These sectors stand to save 15-35% of current costs by applying existing corrosion mitigation techniques”. (AMPP, 2021)
The Solution
Northern Metal Coating is a certified installer of IGL EcoClear Aegis, an anti-corrosion coating system designed for high corrosive environments (C5) protecting steel and glass amongst other surfaces from corrosion.
Key Features: low surface energy and smooth surface, environmental-friendly, great adhesion on a wide range of substrates. Its self-leveling system reduces downtime for application and repairs. Improving efficiency and reducing costs.
Aegis is unique by using Graphene Nanotubes Technology (GNT) that acts as an excellent barrier against both oxidation and chemical attacks. The GNT acts to improve barrier properties making it harder for water molecules to pass through. (figure 1)
IGL Aegis is extremely durable and tested up to 6,000 hours in salt spray tests and 4,000 hours in water immersion (approximately 15 years in non-marine environments). IGL Aegis also creates a hydrophobic surface that enables easier maintenance. Aegis has been tested for various aspects in relation to its hydrophobicity, adhesion, gloss, chemical resistance and most importantly durability. (Figure 2)
We propose the opportunity to improve and extend the useful life of mining equipment and machines by mitigating corrosion through our tested nanotechnology coating. Coated equipment should require less downtime and maintenance.
Figure 1: Graphene Nanotube Technology
Figure 2: Test results December 2023
Figure 3: Aegis compared to similar products
Sources
AMPP. (2021). Corrosion study reveals $63 billion annual cost to Canadian taxpayers. Corrosion Study Reveals $63 Billion Annual Cost to Canadian Taxpayers. https://www.ampp.org/blogs/webmasternaceorg/2021/06/17/corrosion-study-reveals-63-billion-annual-cost-to
Canada, N. R. C. (2022, December 5). Government of Canada. National Research Council Canada. https://nrc.canada.ca/en/research-development/research-collaboration/industrial-rd-groups/mining-materials-wear-corrosion-consortium
IGL. (2024, July 5). Ecoclear Aegis: The next generation in anti-corrosion coating. IGL Coatings Blog. https://blog.iglcoatings.com/all-about-ecoclear-aegis-the-next-generation-in-anti-corrosion-clear-coating/
Venkateswara Rao, G. (2019). Corrosion in Mining and Mineral Industry. International Journal of Innovative Studies in Sciences and Engineering Technology (IJISSET), 5(6), 11–17.
