ConAgra Brands, a food processing and packaging company headquartered in Chicago, expanded into the Pacific Northwest in 2016. After the coating on their peeler tanks began to degrade, the facility owners began looking for a suitable replacement that would provide long-lasting protection for the tanks while limiting condensation and heat loss. Tnemec representatives introduced the team to Aerolon, a thermal insulating coating formulated with the world’s best insulating solid, aerogel.

“The company was using another product to limit condensation and thermal transfer,” said local Tnemec representative, Rick Gilbreath, of TNW, Inc. “The other coating required six coats as opposed to Aerolon’s two coats.”

The previous coatings degraded quickly, especially when in contact with fryer oil and other such contaminants. The durable Aerolon system, which includes a high-performance primer and topcoat, provides comprehensive protection while lowering the number of coats necessary to complete the project.

The project team prepared the surface according to SSPC-SP6/NACE No. 3 Commercial Blast Cleaning, to a 2.0 mil profile. A prime coat of Series 1224 Epoxoline WB was applied at 4-6 mils dry film thickness (DFT). Next, two coats of Series 971 Aerolon Acrylic were applied at 80-100 mils total DFT, followed by a topcoat of Series 1028T Enduratone at 2-3 mils DFT. The team used an texture sprayer pump to apply all the coatings to the exterior of the tanks.

“The tanks were coated in the shop and then installed with the system already applied,” explained Gilbreath. “The painters and the owner were both impressed with the application process and the final appearance of the vessels.”

ConAgra Brands, founded in 1919, has become one of the largest packaged foods and processing companies in the world. The company produces a wide variety of food products, including cooking oils, frozen dinners and peanut butter.