Performance Profile: Cooling Tower Fan Blades

Cooling tower fan blades are subject to excessive leading edge erosion due to the impingement of drift (water droplets). In use, tips of 40 foot (12.19 meter) blades are subjected to speeds up to 12,000 feet (3657.6 meters) per minute, contributing to leading edge erosion. Often there is ultra-violet deterioration on the top working surface of the blade. Other coatings used in this application often last only one year, showing severe leading edge erosion and peeling.

Alliance Cooling Products and Construction, Inc. (A.C.P.C., Inc.) has successfully coated cooling tower fan blades with CeRam-kote 54® for the past five years. Blade applications range from 14-40 foot (4.26-12.19 meters). After coating over 2,000 blades, A.C.P.C., Inc. has had no callbacks, no repair calls and no failures to date. Blades applied with CeRam-Kote 54® five years ago show no signs of leading edge failure or UV breakdown due to the inert cermaics in CeRam-Kote 54®. A.C.P.C., Inc. has coated fan blades with CeRam-Kote 54® for several customers including Pacific Gas and Electric Co., Coors Brewing Co., Shell Chemical, Tosco Refining Co., Montana Power, Calpine Corporation, Chevron, ARCO, Sierra Pacific Power Co., O.E.C. Corp. and Hopewell Cogeneration.