Lining Accumulator Shells: Innovative Application and a Long-Standing Partnership for Success in the High-Pressure Liquid Storage Sector

Our authorized applicator KUE Group has recently completed an interesting project for the lining of accumulator shells through bespoke application techniques. We talked with its Commercial Director, Gary Kerr, about this company’s long-standing partnership with SÄKAPHEN – an eye to the past – and its key innovation drivers – a vision for the future.

KUE Group (United Kingdom) is one of SÄKAPHEN’s trusted authorized applicators. It recently published an interesting case study about the lining of a series of varying-sized accumulator shells (i.e. fluid tanks for storing liquid under pressure, in this case with a 1 to 54-liter capacity). This project required the use of our phenolic-based baked coating Si 14 E and a specially developed application process.

We interviewed Gary Kerr, the Commercial Director of KUE Group and a surface preparation, lining and coating specialist, to discuss this success case and much more.

Hello Gary, thank you so much for taking some time to answer our questions. Can you please briefly introduce KUE Group and your role within this company?

Likewise! KUE Group has over 50 years of experience in steel surface preparation, linings and coatings and has an envied reputation for quality with the ability to carry out our services efficiently within critical timescales whilst maintaining an outstanding safety culture. Our senior management has a combined wealth of experience covering many disciplines, which is backed by experienced, trained operatives. Located in Bradford, West Yorkshire, we are ideally placed to service sites throughout the UK whilst being positioned conveniently close to the motorway network to receive items in-house. KUE was initially incorporated in the early 1970s as a stone cleaning business by Messrs. Kelsall, Unsworth and Evans to service a growing market in the cleaning of buildings throughout the UK following years of air pollution. Together, they patented a unique method of grit blasting utilizing blast pots, compressors and water bowsers onto an HGV chassis and creating a mobile blasting unit that could respond to clients throughout the UK. A large number of these were prestigious buildings, including Salts Mill, West Yorkshireand The British Museum, London.

A chance meeting with a member of the Paint Research Association whilst stone cleaning a building led to further interest and development of what was then known as ‘System 918’ Variable Pressure Blasting Technique. The initial query was, “If you can clean delicate stonework to such a high degree of finish, can this also be done with carbon steel?” The answer was a resounding YES! This, in turn, interested the now defunct CEGB (Central Electricity Generating Board), and following exploration and testing, blasting of boiler pressure parts and turbine components became the norm. Such was the success of the Mobile Blast Units that orders were secured for supply across the world, including the USA, Australia and the Middle East.

With the preparation of steel substrates came the natural succession to coat or line the prepared items, and the business extended into coatings and linings. This was further strengthened with the acquisition of Lithgow Saekaphen Ltd in the late 1980s, which brought together KUE and the SÄKAPHEN range of high-end performance linings and coatings, both companies’ values dovetailing seamlessly and allowing continued business growth whilst maintaining the position of the leading on-site provider of NDT Blast Preparations for coal-fired power stations throughout the UK. A management buyout in 2006, following stagnation and ill health of the original owners, led to the current management organization, which brought about a new vigor together with extensive capital expenditure, ensured KUE and Lithgow Saekaphen remained at the forefront of coating and lining technology and leaders in steel surface preparation. KUE today, incorporating KUE Engineering and Lithgow Saekaphen, continue to remain the UK’s leading provider of on-site grit blasting to the power generation industryand at the forefront of high-end bespoke heat-cured coating and lining systems protecting and extending the life of assets worldwide.

My own personal journey within the business began in 1992 as a QC Assistant, and continued personal development led to my current role as Commercial Director overseeing a large aspect of the company’s activities, both technical and commercial.

What’s the main target market of KUE, and what’s the current situation of this industry?

KUE Group’s client base has historically included the Power Generation, OGC (oil, gas and chemicals), and Food and Brewing industries (this applies to both KUE Engineering and Lithgow Saekaphen) and still remains so to this day. Over the years, we have seen cyclic periods that follow the trends of global markets of supply and demand; this can be seen and evidenced in the ISO Tank Container market, where demand for particular chemicals peaks and troughs over the years and demand for lined Tank Containers rises and falls.

How are you facing this situation?

We have, to this point, always been fortunate, be it through business development strategy or continuing to promote a total quality, safety and environmental awareness attitude, which allows our client base to be afforded the luxury of working with a business and group of people with honest and genuine values of delivering best in class application along with promoting one of the world’s leading lining and coating providers in SÄKAPHEN and offering bespoke service in the field of surface preparation.

More in detail, how did you land the accumulator shell lining job that is the subject of your recent case study, and how did you handle it?

Lithgow Saekaphen has long been held in high regard pertaining to quality and service, and the industry often turns to us when faced with application or supply difficulties. In a particular instance, a Global Bladder Accumulator manufacturer/supplier sought our expertise when faced with supply and application issues – as always, we were happy to assist and overcome any concerns, delivering and achieving using our right-first-time concept.

For this project, you chose to apply SÄKAPHEN’s Si 14 E coating product. What are its main benefits?

In my eyes, SÄKAPHEN Si14E is the original and still the best in its field, along with the full range of SÄKAPHEN. As I wrote in a blog post some time ago, “All of SÄKAPHEN’s products are developed in-house by a team of experienced professional chemists and engineers. If you’re using SÄKAPHEN, you know you’re using contemporary quality and design unlike anything else on the market. SÄKAPHEN’s R&D department doesn’t just design new products to keep up with the latest trends; they work hard to pre-empt future needs and design products to meet those.” More specifically, “Heat-cured SÄKAPHEN® linings provide unrivalled temperature and chemical resistance covering the full pH scale at a temperature range of -20 °C to +180 °C. Cold-cured epoxy and phenolic technologies ensure these too offer excellent resistance.”

What’s it like to be a SÄKAPHEN authorized applicator?

We have always held close links with SÄKAPHEN. However, this has been strengthened further since 2009 when the Fischer-Zernin family took a more hands-on approach, and Christoph was installed as Commercial Director, who offers a drive and unwavering commitment to the business to consolidate and promote the SÄKAPHEN brand worldwide whilst offering a meaningful understanding of our needs and requirements. Being closely associated with SÄKAPHEN brings mutual benefits: we can trust and uphold the SÄKAPHEN brand, and in turn, the brand benefits from a trusted authorized applicator – and long may this continue.

Can you reveal something about future projects and other occasions of collaboration with SÄKAPHEN?

In our experience, the industry never fails to surprise with a potential new enquiry and challenge around every corner, so we shall see whom we can assist in future through “innovation in application”!

Thank you very much again, Gary. We’re very happy to collaborate with you and the whole KUE Group team!

KUE Group’s case study can be found at this link, whereas its blog post “7 Benefits of Choosing SÄKAPHEN’s Linings and Coatings” has been published here.

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Whether in the UK or anywhere else in the world – contact us now if you would like to work with us on your next protective coating application project.