Protecting essential equipment from rust and corrosion is critical to maintaining smooth operations in the energy sector, but often this is done at a cost to the environment. However, new blasting technology, Sponge-Jet, reduces the environmental impact and cost factor.Local company TOSL Engineering Ltd and Nigerian firm Tricontinental Group formally launched Sponge-Jet on the local market with a seminar and product demonstration at TOSL's Marabella compound.
Tricontinental general manager, Tunde Okikiolu said he was pleased to partner with TOSL to bring the product to T&T. He said one of key challenges for companies in the energy industry is reducing corrosion on their infrastructure and pipelines.In the past, he said, abrasive blasting was the preferred method of dealing with corrosion. However, this came at a high cost, including employee injuries and disruption of operations. With Sponge-Jet, he said, such costs are reduced.
"It is an environmentally friendly, safer product. It is cost effective and there is no dust. The whole impact of introducing the sponge media is to reduce to the barest minimum dust that emanates from conventional blasting. Once we reduce the dust the equipment is not affected, it does not cause any collateral damage," Okikiolu explained.
Tricontinental is the exclusive agent for Sponge Jet in the Caribbean. It is a no-dust blasting media that uses suction to prepare metal surfaces for painting and reduces corrosion.Officials from local companies, including the National Gas Company, TUFCO and Petrotrin, were given demonstrations of the product which was used to clean a portion of a rusted metal sheet. The blasting of the rusted metal did not produce dust and there was no damage to the surface of the material.