Ovante

Electric Power Research Institute

In 2013, Storm Greeter completed a second round of testing at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) in Charlotte, NC.  Both rounds of testing were at the request of the largest utility holding corporation in the USA.  EPRI uses a 4 Tier protocol for testing coatings.  These tests include the following:

  • Coating Thickness Measurements per ASTM G12
  • Pinhole testing per NACE RP0188-99, Low-Voltage Wet Sponge Testing (Holiday Test).  This test was performed after a weight was dropped from increasing heights onto a Storm Greeter coated test coupon.  After each drop, the holiday test was performed.  If the coating passed the test, the weight was dropped from a greater height.
  • Adhesion Testing per ASTM D4541.  A majority of these tests were deemed inconclusive because the adhesion between the glue holding the testing equipment to Storm Greeter was weaker than Storm Greeter‘s grip on the substrate.  In tests that succeeded, EPRI observed 60% adhesion failure, 30% cohesion failure (an inner layer of Storm Greeter remained on the substrate) and 10% coating failure.
  • Stereo Light Microscopy Photographs
  • Cathodic Disbondment Testing per a modified ASTM G8
  • Metallographic Cross-Section Analysis
  • Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) Testing (336 hours of hot water immersion)

The second round of testing at EPRI started in 2012, due to the addition of a UV inhibitor.  The results of the tests showed noticeable improvement over the first round of testing.