KUALA LUMPUR, 6 April 2023:
Malaysian national oil giant Petronas yesterday launched ProShield+, a paint additive that was formulated using graphene material to address the perennial corrosion-related pain points that compromise asset integrity of steel structures.
In a statement, Petronas said the in-house developed ProShield+ has been proven to strengthen coatings’ resistance against harsh weather conditions and protect assets from corroding agents. ProShield+ is now open for commercial orders.
“The formulation contains three times higher water barrier properties than conventional epoxy paint and helps to improve adhesion as well as resistance against abrasion and ultraviolet (UV). It has also shown up to three times more improvement in abrasion resistance than conventional epoxy paint.
“ProShield+ can be added to major paint systems to double the average lifespan of surface coating to last up to 16 years. It does not require any change to the existing paint blending process and can be applied in the same way as other coats of paint.”
Project Delivery and Technology senior vice president Datuk Bacho Pilong said this paint product reflects Petronas “progressively stepping out and constantly pursuing innovation … with dedicated research and development in advanced materials (and) dynamic venture into growth areas to facilitate energy transition.”
He said ProShield+ has been test-deployed at specific Petronas upstream and downstream installations and simulated calculations ProShield+ can reduce overall carbon footprint by an average of 50% per platform per year and reduce maintenance spending of repainting works by up to 66% per platform.
Further, he revealed that Petronas has also developed graphene-based formulations that can be incorporated into lithium-ion batteries to boost performance, lifecycle, and thermal dissipation ability; as well as one that can be sprayed on composites to enhance mechanical properties.