Devcon Wear Guard Fine Load Saves Coal Powerplant $33,000 in Pump Repair Costs

A coal-fired power plant's fly ash byproduct is very dangerous for both people and the environment. Fly ash is a very abrasive substance that is frequently challenging to pump. As a result, for the facility to operate effectively, general maintenance issues as well as safety precautions must be implemented.

Problem

Large particle slurries flowing through a fly ash pump at a coal power station severely damaged it. The fly ash pump had to be replaced every three months due to persistent wear, which cost the plant roughly $35,000 each time. The power plant's overall maintenance costs and downtime were both dramatically raised by the high repair frequency.

Solution

The fly ash pump was coated with Devcon Titanium Putty and Devcon Wear Guard Fine Load to protect it from severe wear and abrasion:

• Expandable metal was tack welded 1/16" above the substrate after the repair area was sandblasted to reveal white metal. After that, Devcon Cleaning Mix 300 was used to remove any remaining grease and oil from the metal surface.
• The flange area was treated using Devcon Titanium Putty to replace the lost metal.
• To offer wear protection, Devcon Wear Guard Fine Load was applied to the volute to a thickness of 12".
• Acetone was used to apply and feather Devcon Wear Guard Fine Load, producing a smooth and contoured finish on the fly ash pump.

Project Outcome
Cost Effective

• The cost to repair the fly ash pump with Devcon coatings totaled $2,000 in comparison to a full replacement cost of $35,000.
• With Devcon Wear Guard Fine Load coating, pumps can be consistently repaired, rebuilt, and returned to service vs replacing equipment every three months.

Highly Durable Coatings
Devcon Wear Guard Fine Load and Devcon Titanium Putty protect the pump from the extreme abrasion created by the large particulate slurry prolonging the pumps overall service life.

Smooth Application

Both the Devcon Titanium Putty and Devcon Wear Guard Fine Load are smooth and easy to mix requiring little to no safety equipment or PPE.