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Corrosion of mild steel grating in coke plant

 

At the By-Product Plant of Coke Plant, ammonia ⇦ this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] gas frequently leaks. This leakage corrodes the grating as well as the various structurals. Could you please suggest what we should do. Should we go for fiber reinforced grating / stainless steel grating etc. These gratings are located in higher altitudes too. Should I use mild steel grating with cement coating on it. Pl suggest.

Prashant
steel - Jamshedpur, India

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Hi Prashant,

As I'm biased towards plastics, then I'd suggest you consider a fibreglass grating.

As you know, this grating is available in both polyester and vinylester.... with the vinylester having the edge where alkalines are concerned. Also you can get sanded top surfaces for better anti-slip.

But the span width of the weaker plastics is not nearly as good as the metal ones. You must tell your supplier to give you a chart showing the recommended unsupported widths along with bearing load factors. And they cost much more!

Lastly, if your grating is not walked upon at all or very infrequently, why not 'paint' it with creosote, ie. tar. Very cheap. Very practical. This is very acid resistant and would mean you could keep your steel grating 'till the cows come home' as we say.

This method was used with success on roof structures for a Chlorate manufacturer after ALL, yes, ALL coatings failed. .

Food for thought, anyhow.

Cheers!

Freeman Newton [deceased]
(It is our sad duty to advise that Freeman passed away
April 21, 2012. R.I.P. old friend).