Coatings manufacturer Hempel announced that it is investing in a new research and development center focused solely on passive fire protection coatings. Located just outside Barcelona in Spain, the center is due to open toward the end of 2018.
Passive fire protection (PFP) coatings are increasingly important in the construction and oil and gas industries. Applied to structural steel in large buildings and industrial oil and gas installations, the coatings expand to form an insulating layer of carbon char when exposed to high temperatures. This enables the steel to maintain its load-bearing capacity for up to four hours longer during a fire, giving people valuable time to escape the building and for fire fighters to put the fire out.
Hempel's existing range of PFP coatings for cellulosic fires, Hempacore, includes both fast-drying and waterborne versions, and has been used on civil structures around the globe including airports, train stations, logistics centers, sport facilities, warehouses and industrial factories. A new R&D facility focused solely on PFP coatings will enable Hempel to further expand its PFP product range, including developing PFP coatings for hydrocarbon fires, which are encountered in the oil and gas industry.
The new facility will employ 35 experienced technicians and scientists. It will be located in Santa Perpètua de Mogoda near Barcelona, just five kilometres from Hempel's existing Spanish R&D facility and Spanish head office in Polinyà, which was established in 1964 (although Hempel's presence in Spain dates back to the 1920s).
According to Hempel Group President & CEO Henrik Andersen, it will be in an important addition to Hempel's global R&D network.
Hempel's new passive fire protection coatings R&D center at a glance:
The new facility will be located in Santa Perpètua de Mogoda, near Barcelona and just five kilometres from Hempel's existing Spanish R&D center in Polinyà
The R&D centre will employ 35 highly skilled technicians and scientists from a number of countries
Opening date: Q3 2018
Focus: Passive fire protection coatings for both cellulosic and hydrocarbon fires