Heat exchangers are employed by the oil and gas exploration industry across the globe in all climates and environments. From the brutally-cold Alaskan Tundra to the warm, humid, tropical air of the Gulf Coast, the ability of these machines to perform reliably is essential to the manufacturers success.  Metal Services, Incorporated (MSI), located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, realized dependability was crucial to the profitability of the heat exchangers and now specifies hot-dip galvanizing (HDG) exclusively as the coating system. 

Because oil and gas fields are often located in very remote, desolate areas, maintenance is very costly and inconvenient to perform. Indirect costs due to shutdown time and lost production further increase the overall maintenance expenses. The complexity of the design would also present difficulties for repainting and field repairs, resulting in direct costs to the end consumer. These are virtually eliminated with the utilization of a HDG coating, as it will provide corrosion protection well beyond the expected service life of the heat exchangers. The product is partially assembled at the manufacturers site, but final assembly is performed at its ultimate service location. Both of these production stages involve a significant amount of material handling, which would result in damage to other coating systems. The resistance to abrasion and scratching of the HDG coating further sets it above other systems and greatly decreases the need for field touch-ups and repairs. Furthermore, MSI was able to meet strict production and assembly schedule demands, as the galvanization of such a large number of parts was not weather-dependent, and the material was available for handling and clean up just minutes after the HDG process was completed.

MSIs heat exchangers are complex in their design. Many different steel sizes and shapes were utilized in the construction for components such as cage ladders, angle handrail and numerous connecting plates and bracings throughout the structure. Because the HDG process produces a consistent coating among all surfaces, every nook, cranny, corner and edge will be protected. Other systems often produce inconsistent coatings that tend to be thinner and provide decreased protection in these specific areas.