Products for the Wind Power Industry

FPU™ WC™ Series coatings addresses the special needs of the Wind Turbine industry where the surfaces must:

Have a 20-year design lifetime.
Withstand UV radiation.
Protect materials from moisture penetration.
Mitigate the drag producing fouling of rotor blades by birds and insects.

Our Fluorinated Polyurethane, FPU™, Coatings (which we manufacture and distribute under license from the US Office of Naval Research) are ideal for your requirements. Our WC™ Series of FPU™ topcoats have very low surface energy, are chemically extremely stable (non-reactive), flexible, abrasion resistant, and impermeable to oxygen and water. These coatings give a surface that is easy to clean because: (A) its super-slick finish resists soiling. (B) Its chemical stability allows the finish to withstand solvents. The WC™ Series coatings have an exceptionally long service life because: (A) FPU's chemical stability allows it to withstand UV, and Heat. (B) Its flexibility allows it to resist chipping. Non-reactive FPU™ coatings are nonpolluting and suitable for portable water applications.

These coatings are formulated from a set of original, patented polymers developed by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL). NRL's formula was a significant advance because it eliminated the need for high temperature curing. Because they cure at ambient temperature, these extraordinary tough polymers can, for the first time, be applied with standard painting equipment.

Here are a few highlights that are particularly relevant to wind turbine applications:

Service Life. Our coating has been in full immersion service as a lining for US Navy fuel tanks since 1983 (18 years) with no reported coating failures. The Navy Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAEC) specifies FPU™ for welded-steel fuel tanks. We have developed a complete product line for external as well as external application. Wind Turbine towers have much the same construction as welted-steel fuel tanks.
UV Resistance. The NRL extensively tested our WC™ Series products for their UV resistance characteristics. On the strength of the NRL studies, the US Coast Guard selected our WC-1™ topcoat for the superstructure of the USCG Cutter Tampa. NRL tested our original prototype formula on the ASTM G53 QUV Test. It passed, with over 90% gloss retention over 2,000 hours. Lloyd's has issued certificates for our WC™ Series coating systems in four applications: Salt Water Ballast Tanks, Refined Spirits, Crude Oil, and Void Spaces.
Moisture Penetration. In NS Navy tests, our WC™ Series coatings provided exceptional resistance to both moisture and corrosion. In the ASTM B-117 Salt Fog test, our coating passed with no deterioration, or pin holding 4475 hours. In the ASTM - B287-62 Acidulated Salt Fog test, our coatings passed with no deterioration in 1500 hours. Our coatings also passed the US Navy DTNSMDC/SME-85/23 hot water immersion test. In a practical setting, in 1998, the Saline Water Conversion Company selected our WC-15 Potable Water product to line 28 Reverse Osmosis Dual Media Filters at its Desalinization Plant in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Fouling Release. NRL extensively tested an early FPU™ prototype (on the "Sea Mule" Yard Tugboat, YTL-632) as an alternative to anti-fouling coating on ship hulls. Anti-fouling coatings resist marine organisms by expelling toxins into the water. FPU is non-polluting but resists marine organisms by means of its super-slick surface, which makes it very difficult for marine organisms to securely attach themselves to the surface and also makes the surface very easy to clean. On the strength of the positive results from these early tests, we developed WC-21 (FRC)™ for hull bottoms, where fouling release is a priority and WC-15 (E)™ for marine splash-zone applications where both anti-fouling and UV protection are required.

We have developed two variants of WC-15 (E)™ especially for the Wind Turbine industry.

WC-15 (EM)™. This modified version of WC-15 (E)™ topcoat is intended for spray application to new rotor blades, towers, and foundations. WC-15 (EM)™ can be applied to properly prepared glass fiber reinforced polyester or epoxy (Blades), welded steel (Towers) and concrete (Foundations).
MAREFILM™ Tape. This is a Polyurethane film with a clear WC-15 (EM)™ topcoat (other colors are available with a minimum order). The tape provides a sacrificial coating for Rotor Blades, either new blades or those that are already in use. With MAREFILM's super-slick surface, dirt will fall off the blades whenever it gets wet. MAREFILM™ can restore a smooth, aerodynamic surface to the rough leading edge of old blades and damaged sections are easy to replace in the field.