GLOBAL SOLUTIONS

The Newsletter from DSM Composite Resins > August 2004 > Issue No. 3

TANKS, PIPES AND RELINING

Atlac is back in RSA!

IN THIS ISSUE
DSM Composite Resins introduces which, in some cases, now exceeds 30 years. A classic case is the chlorine chilling/filtration tower at ICI in United Kingdom. The tower was It has been 15 years since Atlac vinyl ester resins were last manufactured and marketed in the Republic of South Africa, by the ICI subsidiary AECI. During the 1970s and 80s Atlac 382 was widely specified in a range of chemical plant applications. There are many examples of tanks and pipes made from this resin that are still in daily service, having required minimal or no maintenance during a service life Continued on page 3 8 installed in the mid 70s and has been in regular, trouble-free service to this day. Since DSM acquired the Atlac business from ICI in the late 80s, significant advances have been made in product quality, range and know-how. Atlac is now available again here in South Africa, backed by a high level of technical support. News Round-up 6 Customer views 4 Experts Opinions 3 Atlac History 2 Local Distributor Mixtrade extended Atlac product line

Welcome from DSM Composite Resins

Welcome to this special issue of our Global Solutions Tanks, Pipes & Relining customer newsletter. It is aimed at the chemical resistance sector and this particular issue is dedicated to the Republic of South Africa. We are delighted to be able to reintroduce Atlac chemical resistance resins to the South Chlorine chilling/filtration tower based on Atlac 382 African market. The full range of high performance resins is now available via our agent and distribution partner

Mixtrade represents DSM in the Republic of South Africa

In September 2003, Mixtrade (Pty) Ltd was appointed as a sole agent and distributor for Atlac resins and other DSM Composite Resins products in South Africa. The company was formed in 1989 and now has facilities in Durban, Cape Town and Continued on page 2 Johannesburg. Mixtrades main line of business is the composites sector where they sell a wide range of resins, gelcoats, reinforcements, peroxides and ancillaries such as silicone rubber. We are delighted to represent DSM, said Managing Director Joa Calkoen. Already we have received a lot of interest, especially concerning the Atlac range of resins.

Mixtrade (pty) Ltd. DSM Composite Resins is a global player in unsaturated polyester resins for the anti-corrosion applications. More information on our company, products and services can be found on: www.dsmcompositeresins.com. Dimitri de Vreeze, Business Director Structural Resins Europe, DSM Composite Resins

DSM Composite Resins

Local Distributor
More about DSM Composite Resins
DSM Composite Resins employs over 750 people worldwide and has its head office in Switzerland, with manufacturing plants in the Netherlands, Italy, France, UK and China. The Business Group is part of the Performance Materials cluster of DSM. The company also produces sizings and binders for the glassfibre industry, a sector in which DSM is the global market leader. DSM Composite Resins is the largest producer of structural resins in Europe and is growing rapidly in China and South East Asia. Our reputation for quality and service is founded on high quality, technically innovative resins and gelcoats. We serve industrial customers via our Customer Competence Centres, hubs of know-how and expertise that specialise in particular application methods or end-user segments. DSM Composite Resins is also a global market leader in sizings and binders - vital functional and performance components used in the production of glass fibre reinforcements. We also have our own panEuropean Euroresins. distribution Find out more organisation: by visiting BEST-IN-CLASS VINYLESTERS Mixtrade is keen to offer the South African market the best specialty products, and I believe that with Atlac we have a best-in-class range of high performance, corrosion resistant resins. Best in terms of technical performance heat Mr. Calkoen of Mixtrade distortion temperature in particular and in terms of the high level technical support for which DSM is renowned. A competitive market is a healthy market and we are pleased to offer the composites sector an excellent alternative range of vinyl esters. INDEPENDENT EVALUATION Although Atlac was sold in RSA 15 years ago, we know that after such a long absence, we will have to re-establish confidence amongst We offer our principals different routes to market for DSM we hold stocks of the main Atlac resins or for our large customers, DSM ships direct from mainland Europe. We are totally flexible. *Report copies are available on request engineering specifiers. Our customers are very receptive to new product lines but engineers have a natural conservatism when it comes to specifying a material that they are not familiar with. To reassure them, in consultation with a Technical Consultancy, we commissioned a series of independent assessments by the Durban SECOND SOURCE SUPPLY IS IMPORTANT Their findings*represent a very positive independent assessment of Atlac resins. Ron Verleg of DSM and I are already in discussions with customers, engineers and end-users about specifying Atlac in upcoming projects. We have received an excellent response and customers are very pleased to have a second supplier. DSM is an excellent and very committed trading partner with the same business philosophy and standards as our own. We are not only marketing and introducing Atlac resins into the South African market but also ortho, iso and other structural resins from DSM, as well as gelcoats and bonding pastes. Joa Calkoen, Managing Director, Mixtrade (Pty) Ltd, gives his perspective on the arrival of Atlac in the South African chemical resistant resins arena. institute of Technology. They closely examined a range of Atlac resins and compared their performance in relation to competitive materials. Their findings* represent a very positive independent assessment of Atlac resins. At the warehouse of our local distributor Mixtrade

A positive independent assessment of Atlac resins

www.dsmcompositeresins.com

2 DSM Composite Resins

Atlac History

Atlac: vinyl ester resins with a rich heritage

The vinyl ester resins that are used today have a long history of development that stretches back to the 1950s, when the Atlac Powder Co in Wilmington Delaware (USA) developed and a new type of unsaturated polyester resin with outstanding chemical temperature resistance. This new material was based on a propoxylated bisphenol A and fumaric acid. The solid, powdered resin was sold under the

Atlac E-Nova Technology

Unsaturated polyester resin chemistries Unsaturated polyester resin Unsaturated polyester Orthophthalic Isophthalic Terephthlalic Bisphenol A Vinyl ester urethane Bisphenol A Novolac Vinyl ester

brandname Atlac and became Atlac 382. The first real vinyl ester resins were developed in the 1970s. During those years ICI, which had taken over the Atlac Powder Co, introduced Atlac 580, a vinyl ester urethane resin. This new product combined the excellent chemical

Atlac 4010

Atlac 382

Atlac 580

Atlac 430

Atlac 590

resistance of Atlac 382 with the good mechanical properties of vinyl ester resins. A urethane building block was incorporated into the

Epoxy Bisphenol A Vinyl Ester Urethane Atlac E-Nova FW 1045

Atlac resin chemistry

molecular structure of Atlac 580, engineering the whole molecule for optimum performance. The bisphenol A gave the basic chemical resistance, the urethane groups provided good wet-out and adhesion to glass fibre, while methacrylate end groups allowed the use of a low exothermic curing process. The mechanical properties of Atlac 580 were excellent and chemical engineering and construction companies quickly recognized the advantages for fabricating tanks, vessels and pipes. DSM EXTENDS THE ATLAC RANGE After the takeover of the Atlac business from ICI at the end of the 80s, DSM Resins developed a new grade of vinyl ester resin, called Atlac 590. In this polymer an epoxy novolac backbone was used instead of a conventional epoxy bisphenol In the mid 90s, DSM Resins and BASF combined Cured resin properties their activities in the field of unsaturated polyester technology under the name DSM Composite Resins. This resulted in the extension of the Atlac product line with the addition of BASF Palatal A 430 (now renamed Properties Unit Method Atlac 382 62 23 3.3 113 3.4 9 120 40 Atlac 430 95 67 3.6 150 3.4 29 105 40 Atlac 590 90 34 3.5 155 3.7 13 140 40 Atlac E-Nova FW 1045 85 56 3.3 140 3.5 30 125 45 Atlac E-Nova FW 2045 90 34 3.5 140 3.5 25 145 45 Atlac 430). An epoxy bisphenol A vinyl ester resin comparable with Dow's Derakane 411. ATLAC E-NOVA The latest evolution in vinyl ester technology is represented in the new Atlac E-Nova family of epoxy bisphenol A vinyl ester urethane resins. This technology combines 40-years experience in unsaturated polyester and epoxy vinyl ester resins. Atlac E-Nova resins process like a unsaturated polyester and cured products show Heat deflection temp. Barcol Hardness C ISO 75 Ae the thermal and chemical resistance of epoxy vinyl ester resins. A. The material showed even better solvent resistance and a very high heat deflection temperature compared to the standard Atlac resins.

Atlac E-Nova FW 2045

Mechanical and thermal cured resin properties

Tensile strength Elongation at break Tensile modules Flexural strength Flexural modules Impact strength

MPa % GPa MPa GPa kJ/m2

ISO 527 ISO 527 ISO 527 ISO 178 ISO 178 ISO 179

DSM Composite Resins 3

Expert Opinions

The views of two industry experts

Sulphuric Acid 78% piping (Atlac 382), Roodeport Deep Mine, Uranium Extraction, Cooke Plant 1984

engineers of the benefits of non-metallics. However, from my experience, Atlac as a brand "THIS INDUSTRY NEEDS A SECOND name has some rather negative associations resulting from mistakes made many years ago when over-eagerness unfortunately resulted in some mis-specification." I deal extensively with suppliers of vinyl ester resins such as Bisphenols and Novalacs, as well as with the end-users and convertors. Recently I have been introduced by DSM to their range of chemical resistance resins and their technical and development support services. DSM Composite Resins is one of the worlds largest structural resin producers and theres no doubt that the arrival of such a major player will be good for the chemical resistance FRP sector here in South Africa. "BENEFITS OF NON-METALLICS" The weight of DSM will also help in convincing Complex tank & pipe installation under construction "There is no doubt that Atlac 382 was and indeed still is a good resin, but it is not a one-fit solution for all corrosion resistant applications. It is therefore good to see that DSM now offers a complete range of chemically resistant resins SOURCE SUPPLIER" Phil Bradbury, Independent Consulting Engineer

under the Atlac brand. I wish DSM every success in the re-introduction of Atlac because there is a clear need in this market for a fully committed second source supplier who can offer a high level of technical back-up." Phil Bradbury's company, Technical Risk

Management services, is involved in new plant feasibility studies, trouble shooting on nonmetallics and facilitating detailed QC programs in conjunction with non-metallic convertors.

4 DSM Composite Resins

Expert Opinions

judgements. How different things are for todays consulting engineers, who have a wealth of technical information on long-term chemical performance, design data and standards. Phil Bradbury worked for some time in the "OVERCOMING SUPERSTITIONS" Convincing conservative industries to consider FRP as an alternative to metallics was also a challenge. Not only are many industries in South Africa very conservative but theyre also highly superstitious especially those in mining and explosives. I recall once specifying FRP ducting Mr. Richard Holmes "CONVINCING INDUSTRIES" Richard Holmes, retired consulting engineer At that time AECI was a very large concern with three chemical manufacturing sites that each had a requirement for pipes, tanks and storage vessels. As consulting engineers we were involved in plant specification and were keen to use Atlac in pressure vessels and storage tanks. The problem was there were no standards available so we had to write our own from available information. There was an American Commercial provisional specification specification, and neither a of German which OUR CONSERVATIVE for Freestate Mines, with a conductive inner surface that was non-sparking. An explosion subsequently occurred in the mine that had nothing to do with the FRP, but because it was a non-traditional material they stripped it all out. Richard Holmes first came into contact with Atlac 382 back in 1968 when he was senior mechanical engineer and head of the nonmetallics materials division of AECI (African Explosives & Chemicals Industry), which was 49% owned by mining conglomerate De Beers and 51% owned by ICI. Richard is still actively involved in the anti-corrosion sector. petrochemical and mining industries, with his last position being Consulting Mechanical and Electrical engineer for Johannesburg Consolidated Industries - for their base metals, platinum concentrate smelters and Platinum Group metals refineries. He now provides Engineering Risk Consulting to a wide range of industries including petrochemical, mining , paper and pulp and the insurance industry; having developed a specialisation in non-metallics.

Interviewee Profiles

considered glass content. We therefore drew up AECI Engineering standard EB212 in March 1973. We had a lot of successes but it is fair to say we also had some failures. Mostly these were not the result of mistakes in the specification, but rather a change to the specification - or short cuts taken by the subcontractor or end-user to keep costs down. This sometimes resulted in the substitution of Atlac with a general purpose resin, or switching to rigid PVC for pipework and ducting as a cheaper alternative. "EARLY PIONEERS" Since ortho polyesters are unsuitable for aggressive acids and alkalis while rigid PVC is prone to cracking at low temperatures, there would inevitably be failures. The risks were compounded by the fact that the early pioneers of non-metallics frequently had to make decisions based on scant data or empirical Twin Scrubbers being transported for installation at BASF

DSM Composite Resins 5

Manufacturer views

Snapshot of the chemical resistance market

In South Africa, the water treatment

business is an interesting local market with promising growth potential. But the main market is for tanks and vessels especially those used to store corrosive media. Anticorrosive equipment is used in mining (principally gold, platinum and manganese) as well as in sulphuric acid plants and the aluminium industry. While the gold business is almost dead, the platinum business is currently doing very well. We asked some of the countrys leading chemical resistant FRP equipment producers for their views on the market: WHEN FIBREGLASS PTY LTD When produces storage tanks, pressure vessels, scrubbers and clarifiers for the chemical and water treatment industry. Before I started this business in 1992, I worked for the engineering department of AECI South Africa. This involved designing FRP equipment for AECI, which we mostly specified in bisphenolic Atlac resins. We now use epoxy vinyl esters from Dow, plus isophthalic UP resins for the water treatment projects. I have to say that we have a good relationship with our current suppliers, but of course wed be open to evaluating the new Atlac products when Electrolysis cells Lee Collet Managing Director Tel: +27 11 918 4633 Atlac has not been available for the last 15 years in South Africa yet we still receive specifications from end-users and engineers specifying Atlac or equivalent resin systems. In the Speedmark days a lot of FRP equipment, like electrocel cell liners, piping and tanks, was made in Atlac 382. I look forward to the re-introduction of Atlac resins into the South African market. Jurie Theron General Manager Tel: +27 11 955 1216 they become available. From my AECI days I remember that convertors found Atlac resins very friendly to work with. AMITECH INDUSTRIAL Formerly called Speedmark, Amitech makes GRP equipment by hand lay-up and filament winding 165 m3 NaOH storage tanks based on Atlac 430

6 DSM Composite Resins

Manufacturer views

Chemical plant producers give their opinions

DELTA ELECTROLYTIC MANGANESE Delta produces electrolytic dry cell for batteries via an electrochemical process. In the early days, the company used Atlac 382. In the past we have specified both Atlac and Derakane resins for the production of the liners of electrolytic cells and for the production of different components Our used in aggressive is the Garry Milford Director Tel: +27 82 454 8750 NORTH COAST INDUSTRIAL (NCI) NCI produces GRP pipes and storage tanks as well as fluorothermoplastic FRP systems: mainly for pulp & paper and fertiliser industries. Ive worked in the fibreglass business in South Africa for more then 25 years. In 1999 I started this company together with three laminators and PLASTICS AND FIBERGLASS PRODUCTION PFP produces chemical storage tanks, scrubbers and ducting in HLU Due to availability problems, we last specified Atlac back in 1984. The difficulty with ICI was that they imported the Atlac 382 in powder form from Europe and dissolved it in styrene locally. This resulted in batch-to-batch inconsistencies. Atlac 430 fume scrubbers Rob Hay Director Tel: +27 35 787 0155 SCHEMATIC TRADING (PTY) LTD. Schematic produce chemical storage tanks, scrubbers, piping and ducting using hand lay-up We last used Atlac resins in 1993. The processability of Atlac 382 was excellent. The resin was laminating friendly and gave good chemical resistant FRP products with a good service life. We produced a chlorine header pipe at Sasol 15 years ago which is still in service and I now employ 55 people. In my experience Atlac is still a well-known name. I believe the product will be quickly accepted in the market by convertors and endusers alike. Well certainly consider Atlac resins, in fact Ive already placed an order to carry out some evaluations. Its good that Atlac resins are to be relaunched in South Africa as it will improve the performance of chemical resistant resins in this sector. Malcolm Florence Managing Director Tel: +27 31 461 2066 30 50 m3 tanks for storing hydrochloric acid at ambient temperature at ACI, which were at least 12 years in service before the plant was closed. Mr. Cilliers Operations Director We also built five chemical process tanks each 10 m3 at Huntsman Dioxide which are still in service after more than 12 years. Im very happy to see Atlac resins back in the South African market. Malcolm Florence, Managing Director of Schematic Trading (PTY) Ltd. environments. main parameter We produced some large scrubbers in Atlac 382 for the platinum industry and these were still in service for 15 years without problems- until the plant was renovated and all FRP equipment was replaced. It will make things more challenging if a strong player like DSM enters the South African market.When the end-users and consultancies accept Atlac resins, the fabricators can then decide on the resin to use.

durability of the liners. We have used Atlac 382 as a liner in cells for plating baths. Installations that date back to the early to mid 90s are still in service under conditions that are mildly acidic and at boiling temperatures. The re-introduction of Atlac to the South African market is a positive move. It is good to have more competition.

DSM Composite Resins 7

News Round-up

Atlac is not just for chemical resistance!

UPV undertook a large number of structural, mechanical and material tests; before they finally arrived at an optimal pultruded resin composite. Atlac E-Nova PL 1645 was selected as most

The Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) was looking for a dynamic and innovative tower that would stand alongside the highway. At 44 metres high the tower (left) is a highly visible advert and

suitable being a high performance epoxy / vinyl ester resin with high mechanical properties. This resin was developed specially for the pultrusion process and gives superior fatigue properties and high temperature mechanical performance compared to a standard VE resin. The pultruded sections Barcelona. Seeing such a structure makes you wonder whether Gustave Eiffel if he'd had these materials and technologies at his disposal would have chosen composites and not iron for his famous tower! where produced by Tadipol of

Composites Africa 2004

The Polymeric Composites Institute of South Africa (PCISA) will host the biennial Composites Africa 2004 at Caesars Gauteng in Johannesburg, August 24 & 25. It is a biennial event that attracts composites professionals and interested individuals from across South Africa and other countries. The Composites Africa 2004 program includes educational sessions covering training issues, technical and regulatory updates, as well as live demonstrations, exhibitions and workshops to the Composites Industry.

probably the highest all-GRP tower in the world. It is also a striking example of the Spanish universitys innovation. The designers and manufacturers wanted to test the boundaries of what can now be achieved using reinforced plastics in building projects and show off the results! While the use of FRP as building materials is increasing, many still think that using only composites to build a large, rigid structure is practically impossible. The tower proves the doubters wrong, since the principal load-bearing pillars each consisting of six vinyl ester FRP pultruded profiles glued together with a VE based structural bonding paste. From the base upwards, the pillars are connected by preformed, sandwich constructed, FRP hoops of decreasing diameter.

EVENTS CALENDAR
CHINA COMPOSITES EXPO 2004 PACE 2004 COMPOSITES 2004 4TH TUV CONFERENCE: FRP UNLIMITED JEC COMPOSITE SHOW 2005 REINFORCED PLASTICS 2005

6-8 Sept 2004, Shanghai, China 8-9 Sept 2004, Cologne, Germany 6-8 Oct 2004, Tampa (FL), USA 16-17 Nov 2004, Munich, Germany 5-7 April 2005, Paris, France 24-26 May 2005, Karlovy Vary, Czech Rep.

www.chinacompositesexpo.com www.rapra.net www.acmashow.com www.composite-meeting.de www.globalcomposites.com e-mail: dumtech@mybox.cz

Headquarters
DSM Composite Resins AG Stettemerstrasse 28 P.O. Box 12 27 CH-8207 Schaffhausen Switzerland Phone: +41 (0)52 644 12 12 Fax: +41 (0)52 644 12 00

More Information
For more information, please consult our website or contact Kadri Vunder Phone: +41 (0)52 644 12 46 e-mail: kadri.vunder@dsm.com www.dsmcompositeresins.com

Customer Competence Center

DSM Composite Resins BV P.O. Box 615 8000 AP Zwolle The Netherlands Phone: +31 (0)38 466 95 69 Fax: +31 (0)38 465 95 00