JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #49 - June 2009 - 57

Composite system has capital solution for park odours Because of its extensive, diverse and award-winning park system, Austin, Texas, is often referred to as “A city within a park!” When foul smells challenged that reputation, engineers found a capital solution in a biological system from odour control specialist Bay Products. The system’s technology is based on proprietary aggregate media that are housed in a fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite structure made with corrosion-resistant Vipel® vinyl ester resin from AOC. he green space and playgrounds of the 3-hectare Montopolis Park and Recreation Area are popular draws for local residents and students of the nearly Austin Community CollegeRiverside. The park is in a low-lying, riverside area that by chance includes an underground wastewater conveyance tunnel. Sewer gases inside the tunnel emitted noxious odours that were a major nuisance for park-goers, college students and local residents alike. “Bay Products was contracted to develop a cost-effective odour-control solution that would stay within the city’s constrained budget,” said Jeff Jones, engineering Manager, Bay Products. “By offering several different odour-control technologies, we can tailor a solution based on the cause and magnitude of the problem.” T are absorbed as the system moves 85 cubic metres of air per minute from a sewer lift station through the media. Bay Products was responsible for supplying a complete system which included various components manufactured using AOC resins. These components included the vessel, ductwork and isolation dampers tested to protocols established by the American Composites Manufacturers Association. assembled into a shell that was 3 metres wide by 11 metres long by 2.7 metres high. The panels and composite damper components were made by hand lay-up of alternating layers of resin-impregnated fibreglass chopped strand mat and fibreglass woven roving. More information About AOC AOC is a leading global supplier of resins, gelcoats, colorants, additives and synergist systems for composites and cast polymers. Offering a wide range of Vipel resin technologies, AOC is the leading producer of corrosion-resistant resins in North America. The 40.6-centimeter diameter cylindrical ductwork components for moving air were filament wound of continuous fibreglass roving wet-out with the Vipel vinyl ester. “The resin processed perfectly for both our open moulding and filament winding operations,” Jones stated. Surfaces that are directly exposed to the odour-scrubbing process were manufactured with a layer of synthetic surfacing veil. This technique resulted in a resin-intensive layer that provides maximum corrosion protection of the reinforcing fibres encapsulated within the composite. More information: www.corrosionresins.com Superior resistance The anti-odour process creates a highly acidic internal operating environment where pH levels can get as low as 2. As a result, Bay Products manufactured the system’s composite components using a Vipel K022C bisphenol A epoxy vinyl ester resin from AOC. In addition to its exceptional corrosion resistance, the Vipel resin with minimal synergist addition meets the site’s critical requirement for an ASTM E84 Class 1 fire rating. Jones explained how the Vipel resin included helpful technical service. “It was imperative that the large panels in the system stay flat and uniform through our manufacturing process,” he said. “If the exothermic heat in a vinyl ester cure cycle is too high or spikes too quickly, a large panel may exhibit unwanted warpage,” he said. “For this application, Eric Stuck of AOC helped us develop a resin formulation that ensured the panels would be extremely flat and uniform.” The flat composite panels were Vipel® technology helps composite components resist the highly acidic nature of the odour control system by Bay Products, Inc. Analysis of the Montopolis Park situation led to the use of a dual-stage biological system utilizing two different types of odour-eating bacteria. Sewer gas odours No49 June 2009 / jec composites magazine 57

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JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #49 - June 2009

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