14.

PAINTING OF PENSTOCK
14.1 Good painting on the interior of a penstock will reduce the frequency
of power house shut downs and consequent loss of revenue during
maintenance. It will also withstand high water velocities, impact and
shock; with a smooth glossy finish, friction loss in the penstock will be
minimized.

14.2 INTERIOR PAINTING

Irrespective of the type of penstock, painting on the inside consists

of one coat of cold applied coal tar primer followed by one coat of
coal-tar enamel 3/32 inch to 1/32 inch. Alternatively, 3 coats of cold
applied coal tar apoxy (British Epilux 5 paints) have been provided for
some penstock in India.

Painting of the interior with hot coal-tar enamel is usually done in the
shop. Straight pipe courses can be spun and the coal-tar enamel is
deposited in the spinning pipes. This results in a smooth glossy finish.
Sections of pipes which cannot be spun, such as elbows or sections
with man-holes are hand-daubed. The hand-daubed coating seems to
protect the steel as effectively as the spun lining, but it is quite rough
and is avoided wherever possible to minimise friction losses.

14.3 EXTERIOR PAINTING

Prior to the despatch of fabricated pipes from the shop to site, the out
side of pipe is protected with one coat of Red oxide or Zinc Chromate.
A second coat of red oxide is also given in the field followed by a coat
of aluminium paint. The highly reflective surface of the aluminium
paint is believed necessary to keep the interior of the pipe, when
empty, below a temperature that would damage the coal-tar enamel
and also to minimise the movement of expansion joints.

Outside surface of buried pipes are painted with coal-tar enamel and to
keep this coat from being damaged by the back filling operation are
given a thin coat of reinforced gunite. Alternatively, a layer of fibrous
glass mat wrap followed by a coat of Asbestos Felt wrap and finally a
coat of white wash are given (see Fig. 62).

Portions of penstocks embedded in concrete anchors are given a coat

of red-oxide or zinc chromate. Penstocks embedded in tunnels form
steel liners and are given a similar coat and a coat of asphalt or
bitumen 1/8 inch thick immediately upstream from the power house
for a distance of about 25ft. so that the thrust on the liners, as a result
of closing the power house valves would not be transmitted to the
power house wall.

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14.4 SEQUENCE OF OPERATIONS

The various operations involved in paintings for interior surfaces are

(i) cleaning and preparation of surface (ii) Primer coating (iii) coal-tar
enamel painting and finally (iv) inspection and testing. The operations
are described in detail below:

I. CLEANING AND PREPARATION OF SURFACE

a) Oil and grease on the surface are removed thoroughly by flushing

and wiping with Xylol.

b) All other foreign matter, weld spatter, burrs and any

objectionable surface irregularities are removed by sand-blasting
till exposure of grey coloured base metal. The sand or steel grit
used for blasting should be dry and should pass a No. 16 standard
screen and at least 85% should be retained on a 50 standard
screen.

14.5 PRIMER COATING

Primer coating is applied by hand brushing, air gun spraying and

brushing at a coverage of 350 to 400 square feet per gallon. The
surface should be dry at the time of application of primer to facilitate
spraying and spreading; the primer may be heated and maintained
during the application at a temperature of not more than 120oF.

14.6 COAL-TAR ENAMEL PAINTING

Coal-tar enamel conforming to AWWA specification No. C 203-57

may be used. The enamel should be heated in special kettles equipped
with tight closing lids and easily readable thermometers (See Fig. 63).
Application temperature may vary between 450 to 480oF. A coverage
of 125 square feet may be expected from one gallon of coal-tar
enamel. Finished coal-tar enamel lining should be free from wrinkles,
sags, blisters or blow-holes.

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14.7 PAINT CHARACTERISTICS AND TESTS

A good and durable paint should have the following characteristics,

these have to be verified on test plates:

Sl. Test Min. Max.

No.
1. Softening Point 220oF -

2. Filler (Ash) 25% 35%

3. Fineness filler through 200 mesh 90% -

4. Specific gravity at 25 0F 1.4 1.6

5. Penetration
a) At 77o F-100 g weight 5 secs 10 20
b) At 115 o F 50 g weight 5 secs. 15 55

6. High temperature test at 160o F 50 g - 2/32 inch

weight 5 secs

7. Low temperature test at 20o F (cracking) - None

8. Deflection test (initial heating)

a) Initial crack 0.8 -
b) Disbonded area - 3 sq.miles

9. Deflection test (after heating)

a) Initial crack 0.6 m -
b) Disbonded area - -

10. Impact test (at 77o F 650 g 8 ft. drop)

a) Direct impact disbonded area - 10 sq.inch
b) Indirect impact disbonded area - 2 sq.inch

11. Peel test No feeling

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