Protective coating of cooling towers in Harbin, Heilongjiang province P. R. China

China’s rapid economic growth has increased the need for electricity many fold over the past decade. The economic growth has also increased the awareness of environmental issues and pollution. In the energy sector, this has caused the trend of changing from traditional smoke stacks to cooling towers through which the flue gas is led. These cooling towers use a different principle whereby the dry flue gas is led through a lime-water bath. The treated flue gas has a pH value of approx. 3 which will attack the concrete of the cooling tower if left unprotected. The Harbin power plant is a joint venture between Datang Power Corporation and Harbin Power Company. The total surface area of the two cooling towers to be protected was 110,000 m². The remote location and shape of the cooling towers made installation difficult. KÖSTER NB 1 Grey and KÖSTER Polysil^® TG 500 were selected to coat and protect the cooling towers internal side and KÖSTER NB 1 Grey was selected for the external side. The main reasons why KÖSTER NB 1 Grey was chosen are the characteristics of the product: KÖSTER NB 1 Grey penetrates into the substrate and waterproofs it while still being open to vapour diffusion. Thus, the coating keeps the water out while it does not trap the vapour under the coating. Together these characteristics promote bonding and prevent delamination of the coating. Also, KÖSTER NB 1 Grey is completely UV-resistant and the acid resistance of the proposed system is sufficient to withstand the stresses which are to be expected. Another reason for selecting KÖSTER NB 1 Grey was the ease of applicationand the fact that it could be both sprayed and brush applied. It was also considered a great advantage that it be applied on a wet substrate which would make surface cleaning and weather considerations much easier to handle. In the end, it was decided to hand apply KÖSTER NB 1 Grey and KÖSTER Polysil^® TG 500 because the applicator was unable to get licenses to use the heavy spraying equipment up on the towers. The solution was to use a team of highly skilled and experienced specialists in abseiling – all with statutory licences - to brush apply KÖSTER NB 1 Grey and to spray apply KÖSTER Polysil^® TG 500 using ordinary hand carried liquid sprayers.

Although the team was experienced, the strong winds made installation difficult; many procedures had to be revised to avoid compromising safety and quality. Another important factor was the fact that Harbin is located in the Northeast of China. It is known to be one of the coldest cities in the World and damages to structures caused by frost are common. With KÖSTER NB 1 Grey, the track record for the past 25 years is unblemished and countless structures have been protected against water and frost damage over the years.

While many cooling towers are planned or under construction, this is only the third cooling tower project in China and we are proud to announce that our affiliate Beijing KÖSTER International Chemistry Co., Ltd is involved at this early stage and expects to be active in many future cooling tower projects to come.

 

Restoration of the chimney of a coal power plant in Lithuania with KÖSTER products

In the year 2007, the power company “Vilniaus Energija” from Vilnius, Lithuania restored the outside of the chimney of its coal power plant. The restoration works were carried out by UAB "Multikontraktas", the Lithuanian partner of KÖSTER BAUCHEMIE AG.

The chimney H250 had an outer hull made of reinforced concrete. The concrete had suffered some damages over time. Due to bad concrete quality, insufficient concrete cover and poor workmanship during the construction of the chimney, the steel reinforcement close to the surface had corroded in many places. Due to the expansion in volume of the corroding steel, the concrete over the corroded steel reinforcements was damaged and the corroded steel reinforcements were exposed. Due to poor workmanship, the concrete surface was full of pinholes and especially in the areas of the construction joints, the surface was very uneven.

During the restoration of the chimney, the protruding steel reinforcements and concrete protrusions as well as loose particles were removed. Afterwards high pressure water cleaning of the entire outside of the chimney was carried out. The concrete was then repaired using KÖSTER Betomor Multi A in the damaged areas. It was subsequently protected using KÖSTER Repair Mortar and KÖSTER Betomor C-Coat on the entire outside of the chimney. After the restoration work the chimney was painted to achieve the red and white warning markings. >> Reference

KÖSTER waterproofs the Olympic Sport Arena in Beijing

During the Olympic Games in summer 2008 the attention of many people will be concentrated on the Olympic Sport Arena in Beijing. For this reason we are proud that our affiliate Beijing KÖSTER International Chemistry Co., Ltd. waterproofed the cistern, air ducts, wastewater channels and tanks of this building. An area of 15.578 square metres was waterproofed with KÖSTER products.

By finishing this prestigious and important job successfully, we have gained an excellent reference for future projects.

The images show the Olympic Sport Arena from the outside and the waterproofing of the cable jointing manholes with KÖSTER NB 1 Grey and KÖSTER KB-Flex 200 Sealing Paste.  >> Reference
                                                                                  

Your concrete needs to Be Shot!

As a member of the international KÖSTER Group, KOESTER American Corp. is in a leading position in the market for moisture mitigation in the US.

This Waterproofing Report is primarily concerned with R&D, case studies and news about this area of work Additionally, with the new, unique oil removal system (KÖSTER ORS) we have again launched a product line that sets standards for the market.  >> more...

 

Further topics of the Waterproofing Report 3 | 2007:

Þ Amine Blush: A Reason to Sand
Þ Osmotic Action in Concrete - don't be "pHooled" by pH-Tests
Þ KÖSTER VAP-1^® 06 Primer - Saving Dollars and Sense

 

Here you can download the complete Waterproofing Report 3 | 2007 in PDF formate.
 

Fast Systems for waterproofing from the inside

The new waterproofing product KÖSTER NB 1 "Fast" combines the technical advantages of the proven KD System with the positive application properties of KÖSTER NB 1 Grey. Fast waterproofing from the inside against non-pressurised water is now possible.

KÖSTER NB 1 "Fast" thereby closes the gap between fast waterproofing against pressurised water (negative side waterproofing against leakages with the KD System) and plain plastering of moist walls with a combination of KÖSTER Polysil^® TG 500 and KÖSTER Restoration Plaster 2 "Fast". >>more...

Further topics of the waterproofing report 2 | 2007 :

Þ Waterproofing in the metro system of Athens
Þ Subsequent installation of horizontal barriers

Here you can download the complete waterproofing report 2 / 2007 in pdf formate.

 

Concrete repair - stop concrete damage in its tracks

Concrete repair is one of the focal points of this issue. Concrete and steel reinforcement frequently suffer damage. The causes can be manifold. However, whether the damage arises from natural aging, from environmental influences, from overloading of the statics, incorrect planning and application procedures or faulty design, in order to retain the value of a building, damaged and corroded parts of the structure must be professionally repaired as soon as possible.

This requires the appropriate products. For decades, the innovative development of new systems has been our strength in the construction chemicals market. Via close association with users and planners, we work from the perspective of "What comes out of the market, goes into the market".

A development from this parnership-like collaboration is described in this Waterproofing Report: KÖSTER Betomor® Multi A – a product that stands out because of its excellent technical features. It is another step towards long lasting restoration of structural members.   >> more...

 

Further topics of the Waterproofing Report 1 | 2007:

Þ Repairing a waste water tank
Þ Mould – a threat to health

Here you can download the complete Waterproofing Report 1 | 2007 in PDF formate.

                                                                       
Sealing against radon

The sealing against radon naturally requires extreme
care during sealing work and a waterproofing material
 with appropriate radon-tightness. We would like to
emphasize at this point, that the following described
waterproofing materials and systems are not measures
for shielding against radioactive radiation, but suitable
for sealing against radioactive gas. 

Further topics of the Waterproofing Report 2 | 2005 :

Þ Restoration plaster with short curing time
Þ Strengthening of the substrate and binding of salt in one product

Flexible sealing – directly from the cartridge

Below ground cable and pipe penetrations into buildings have always been considered the weak and complicated details for the waterproofer. Especially in these areas, the waterproofing materials are subjected to groundwater, rain water and resultant pressurised water – with the common consequences of leakages, efflorences, mould patches and high humidity. With the KÖSTER KB-Flex 200, the KÖSTER BAUCHEMIE AG has launched a reliable product targeted for especially these kind of problems. The material is simply used directly from the cartridge and works instantly without waiting for cure!  >>more...

 

Further topics of the Waterproofing Report 1 | 2005 :

Þ Horizontal barriers in a farm house building
Þ To seal cracks economically
Þ Facade Cream – effective without solvent