Surface World October 2019 Surface World October 2019 | Page 46
PRE-TREATMENT, SURFACE PREPARATION, DEGREASING & CLEANING
Odfjell discovers the benefits
of Graco’s EcoQuip 2 EQp
Frustrated with the drawbacks of dry blasting their ships,
Odfjell SE looked for a cleaner and more productive
surface preparation solution … and found it
Norwegian ship owning
company Odfjell SE offers
complete in-house ship
management services
including crewing, QHSSE,
technology support,
digital innovation, new-
builds, energy efficiency
solutions, and overall
fleet management. But
when it came to onboard
maintenance work, they
weren’t too happy about the
efficiency of their surface
treatment methods.
Time-consuming
and unhealthy
For onboard maintenance, Odfjell was
using a combination of dry blasting and
mechanical tools. On-the-spot repair with
mechanical tools was taking time and effort,
and was unhealthy and unpleasant for the
crew due to the heavy vibrations of the tools.
Moreover, dry blasting was requiring a
massive amount of grit, and the dust was
having a negative impact on the crew,
the ship and the surrounding environment.
To overcome these problems, Odfjell decided
to look for alternative methods for their
onboard maintenance work.
They were already aware of abrasive media
and their usefulness to prepare surfaces.
But Odfjell not only needed good surface
preparation, they also wanted a technique
that was easy to use and not dangerous
for the crew.
44
Cleaner, lighter
and more portable
For smaller compressors, the EQp should be
used with a ½” blasting hose and incoming
air hose.”
Discussions with Odfjell’s local Graco
distributor led to the solution. J.S. Cock
recommended the Graco EcoQuip 2 EQp
vapour abrasive blast equipment and
installed it on Odfjell’s ship Bow Atlantic.
They also upgraded the unit with a 1” hose
for incoming air. An extra compressor wasn’t
necessary as the Atlantic Bow already had a
large 55 kW compressor capable of
providing sufficient air.
Less blast media, less dust
Graco’s EcoQuip vapour abrasive blast
equipment provides a performance
equivalent to sandblasting but with 92% less
dust, thus minimizing the need for PPE,
tenting and containment, and decreasing
environmental impact. It uses up to 75% less
blast media and far less water than wet
blasting, and creates little run-off, thus there
is no large slurry mess to clean-up and
dispose. It’s effective in rain and high
humidity, and efficiently removes coatings
without damaging the sub-surface.
The bottom line is that EcoQuip reduces
project costs while increasing the speed,
efficiency and productivity of blasting.
One obvious advantage of the EQp is that
it’s small and easy to move around a ship.
To reach all parts of the ship, a total of 30
meters of hoses is used. Odfjell uses quartz
sand with a thickness of 0.3 mm as abrasive
media, at a rate of 60-70 kg/hour.
Increased productivity
With the EcoQuip 2 EQp, Odfjell were
pleased to see that their surface preparation
was as good as with dry blasting. The benefit
of using the EQp over dry blasting is an
incremental reduction of used grit and
generated dust. EQp also desalts the surface,
so it’s immediately ready to be painted,
eliminating the need to clean it first. The
feathered edges around the prepared area
are smooth so no rust will occur around the
prepared area.
“We are using 75% less grit volume
compared to dry blasting,” says Torleif
Solheim, Senior Technical Superintendent
at Odfjell. “When blasting, we fill two bags
which last for 35-40 minutes before we have
to refill again. And that’s not the only benefit,
the maintenance crew find the EQp very easy
to handle and operate.”
Dan Törnqvist, Business Development
Specialist HPCF at Graco, adds a bit of
advice. “If you want to use the 1” inch
blasting hose, you need a 1” hose for
incoming air. Keep in mind that your
compressor has to be at least 30-37 kW.
OCTOBER 2019
EcoQuip 2 Portable (EQp) is lightweight
(99 kg) and therefore easy to take from one
surface preparation job to another. It still
packs the necessary power for any small to
medium sized job. It can blast up to 10.5 bar
and can handle most of what a 10.5 m³/min
compressor delivers. It’s also optimized to
work well with a 5.2 m³/min compressor and
blasts for up to 90 minutes between refills.
Portability: weighs only 99.8 kg and is easily
transported on a cart with lift handles
Low water usage (only 0.5 - 1 l/min)
means less mess
Works with coarse, fine or non-destructive media
Fast removal rates compared to other cleaning
methods: blast pressures up 10.5 bar
Blasts for up to 90 minutes between refills and
holds approximately (4) 25 kg bags of media
For more information about
EcoQuip, visit Graco’s website at
www.graco.com/marine or contact
Stephan Rindfleisch, Product
Marketing Manager AFTD at
[email protected]
read online: www.surfaceworld.com