REPLACING HAZARDOUS NITROGEN BLANKETING WITH WATERBORNE VPCI ® FOGGING FOR EQUIPMENT PRESERVATION
REPLACING HAZARDOUS NITROGEN BLANKETING WITH WATERBORNE VPCI ® FOGGING FOR EQUIPMENT PRESERVATION
Nitrogen blanketing has long been a standard method for preserving idle industrial tanks, process vessels, and piping runs. However, setting up pressurized gas lines is expensive, requires constant monitoring, and creates a serious suffocation risk for workers entering the area. Cortec ® Corporation developed environmentally friendly VpCI ®-337 inhibitor as a direct, ready-to-use, complete replacement for nitrogen blankets and dry air systems. Instead of maintaining inert gas pressures, maintenance crews mist the waterborne fluid directly into enclosed void spaces. The vapor phase inhibitors diffuse through the air inside the enclosure, forming a protective molecular barrier on all exposed metal surfaces, including internal crevices, tube banks, and pipe bends that liquid coatings cannot reach.
Beyond improving safety and cutting operational costs, VpCI ®-337 delivers a strong environmental advantage over traditional preservation methods. Formulated as a waterborne, low-VOC liquid, it eliminates reliance on heavy, solvent-based rust preventatives that release harmful volatile organic compounds into the atmosphere. The fluid is biodegradable, ensuring that facilities can manage chemical inventories responsibly without introducing persistent environmental contaminants. Because it leaves only a thin, selfreplenishing protective layer rather than a thick oily residue, plants do not need to perform chemical stripping or solvent degreasing prior to equipment restart. This eliminates the generation of hazardous wash-water runoff, saving labor while supporting strict plant environmental standards.
Field applications across the global energy sector highlight the practical reliability of this approach. At a major Liquefied Natural Gas( LNG) project in Malaysia, an oil and gas operator sought a safer alternative to nitrogen blanketing for internal pipe preservation. By fogging VpCI ®-337 into pipe sections
38 MACHINERY, AUTOMATION, CONTROL & ENGINEERING