Effects from nano-titanium oxide on the thermal resistance of an intumescent fire retardant coating for structural applications

Due to its effective performance, intumescent fire retardant coating (IFRC) is widely used by oil and gas industries as well as in processing and petrochemicals plants to protect metallic substrates from fire. The present work developed an epoxy based IFRC comprising phosphate, nitrogen, barium and boron containing flame-retardants. The product was reinforced with nano-titanium oxide and then examined for performance with a lab scale hydrocarbon fire test. Thermal analysis of the coating was evaluated using TGA and DTGA under nitrogen and oxygen environments. Further characterization studies included FESEM, EDS, FTIR, XRD and XRF to determine effects from nano titanium oxide on char's performance. Results indicated that a coating reinforced with 4.5 wt% of nano-TiO2 added residual weight to the coating and provided longer thermal protection time compared to conventional fire retardant coatings.