KorKap PVC-Coated Conduit Systems provides proper
protection for a variety of airport applications
• ContributionsfromgeneralaviationtotheU.S.economysupports1.1
milliontotaljobsand$219billionintotaleconomicoutputintheUnited
States.Thesenumbersincludedirect,indirect,induced,andenabled
impacts.
• AccordingtoSourceAVJobs,theUnitedStatespossessesthelargestand
mostextensiveaviationsystemintheworld,withmorethan18,000
airportsservingmorethan30millionpassengersannually.
Where should I use PVC-Coated Conduit in Airport
Environments?
Itiscriticaltoprotecttheoverallairportsystemtokeepthestructure
operatingatfullcapacitydayinanddayout.
Unfortunately,thisisnotaneasytask,especiallywhenmanyairportsstruggle
toovercomethecorrosiveenvironmentthatexistsduetoharshweather
conditions—suchastherain,sleet,andsnowplaguingairportsduringthe
year.
Therearemanyelectricalcomponentswithintheairportsystemthatare
oftenimpactedbycorrosion.
• Runwaylighting–Cautionshouldbetakeninthisareaassoilcanhave
aneffectonburiedconduitsandcanbecorrosiveformanyreasonssuch
aspooraeration,pHlevels,moisturecontent,andsaltcontent.
• Vehiclefuelingstations&Fuelstoragesystems–Manytimes
electricalcomponentspoweringfuelingstationsareburiedinsoil.
Additionally,manypumpsystemsarecontainedinabrinesolutionin
ordertoprotectagainstspark.Brinesolution(saltwater)isextremely
corrosiveandfuelingstationsareanareawhereboththeriskof
corrosionandtheconsequencesoffailurearehigh.
• Deicingareas–Therearevarioussolutionsthatcanbeusedinthe
deicingprocess.Themostwidelyuseddeicerinaviationispotassium
acetate(KAc)withsandbeingthesecondmostcommonoption.
Alternativesincludeairsideurea,whichisanitrogen-heavy,granular
fertilizer,sodiumacetate(NaAc),sodiumformate(NaF),potassium
formate(KF),ethyleneglycol-basedfluids,andpropyleneglycol-based
fluids.
• Parkinggarages–Thisisanareawhichmayalsoneedprotectionand
isusuallyaconcerninhotandhumidenvironmentssuchascoastal
areas.
Themostimportantthingtokeepinmindwithairportfacilitiesisthatthey
aredesignedtolastasignificantamountoftimeandcorrosionprotectionis
criticaltothelongevityofoverallfacility.Inordertoreducecostsand
downtimeitisimportanttoprotectelectricalinfrastructureinharsh
environmentsforoptimalservicelife.
Having a corrosion preventative strategy plan in place
is critical to facility longevity and safety
SanFranciscoInternationalAirport(SFO)maintenanceteamregularlyfaces
theimpactofcorrosiononelectricalproductsthroughouttheairport,
especiallyconduit.Toassistmaintenance,theSFOengineeringdesignteam
decidedtolookintoadditionaltestingfactorsperformedonconduitssuchas
ETL-VerifiedPVC-001PVCcoatedconduit.
Althoughcorrosiontoconduithasmanyfactors,aspecificenvironmentatSFO
thattendstoacceleratetheeffectsofcorrosionistheairport’sproximityto
SanFranciscoBay.TheSanFranciscoBaycontainsthecombinationof
saltwater,saltairandhighmoisture.DuetothecloseproximityoftheSan
FranciscoBaymanyundergroundstructuressuchasvaultsandconduitsare
exposedtothosefactors.Thesaltwaterseepagealongwiththesaltairand
highmoisturecanbedifficulttomitigateandexposuretoitcanpotentially
reducetheperformanceofthoseinfrastructureinthelongterm.
DuetothiscorrosiveenvironmentattheSFOAirport,engineeringmadethe
decisiontotrythePVCcoatedgalvanizedrigidconduit.Intheprocessan
engineerfromSFOattendedCorrosionCollegetobecomemorefamiliarwith
theETLtestingprocedureandgetfurtherinformationoncorrosionin
conduits.
***PDFLink***
Seeattachedpdf
BuildawhitepapersectionjustlikeontheOil/Gaslandingpageandlinkthe
attachedpdftitleit:
:Long-term success of electrical equipment installed at airports depends on corrosion
prevention knowledge and defense of the original product specifications.
Stephanie Ellis, Director, Corrosion College
TolearnmoreaboutCorrosionCollege:www.corrosioncollege.com
KorKap– value-added engineering/value-added
benefits.
KorKapisnotsimplyaproduct—itisakeylinkinasystemdesignedtobeat
thehighcostofcorrosiondamage.Thefollowinggraphicillustrateshowthe
beneficialdifferentiatorsofKorKapprovideaddedvalueinmakingthesystem
work.
Tolearnmorevisit:
https://korkap.com/pvc-coated-conduit-system/
KorKapcomplieswithstandardsincluding:
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NEMARN-1
ANSIC80.1
UL6
ETLPVC-001
Chemical Resistance Chart
Manyfactorsgointodeterminingtheprotectionlevelofanelectricalsystem.
Onefactorthatcanbeusedistheconduit’sresistancetochemicalswhichwill
beusednearandaroundyourconduitsystem.TheChemicalResistanceChart
belowshowcasessomecommonlyusedelectricalconduitmaterials.Foreach
typeyouwillseeagradethatrelatestohowitperformswithinan
environmentwhichthesechemicalsmaybesplashedontothematerial.
pH Chart
pHisanotherfactorwhichcanbeusedduringmaterialselection.pHis
measuredonascaleof0to14.LowpHisacidicandhighpHisbasicor
caustic.Thisisimportant,becauseifyoucanmeasurethepHinthe
environment,youcanmakebettermaterialselectioninthedesignprocess.
ThepHchartbelowdisplaysarrowswhichshowmaterialstypicallyusedfor
electricalconduitandhowtheyperformineachlevelofthepH
scale.Generally,ifyouareoperatinginanenvironmentbelow4orabove8.5
onthepHscale,youneedtomoveintoamoreaggressivecorrosionresistant
material.
Forconduitinparticular,thewidestrangeofusecomesdowntousingaPVC
coatingtopreventcorrosion.Correctlyappliedcoatingsaregoingtosealthe
metalconduitfromthecorrosiveenvironment.