USA: MesoCoat Announces Cooperation Agreement with Petrobras

MesoCoat, Inc., has recently signed a Cooperation Agreement with Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras), to develop and qualify MesoCoat’s „CermaClad™‟ process for the application of CRA (corrosion resistant alloys) to the internal and external surfaces of pipes using proprietary High Density InfraRed (HDIR) lamp technology.

It is in the interest of both Petrobras and MesoCoat to promote such activities.

MesoCoat‟s CermaClad technology utilizes a high intensity light source, which is effectively an artificial sun captured in a quartz and aluminum reflector to rapidly fuse CRA, metal, and ceramic coatings on steel pipes, plates  and bars.

CermaClad™ is a high speed cladding process that clads 15-100X faster, is cheaper, and offers better metallurgical properties than the competitive weld or laser cladding processes. The speed of this process would ensure  that metal ladding can match the line speed of steel mills, and reduce lead times for clad pipes and tubes by 75-80%. The CermaClad™ application process and nanocomposite cladding materials primarily address the metal  cladding market which is utilized to protect large surface areas against highly caustic and corrosive environments. CermaClad™ addresses the needs of the rapidly growing $3.8 billion global cladding market. Experts  estimate that a less expensive, and faster cladding process will increase the global metal cladding market by 100% in the next three years to $7.6 billion, this increase will be driven by significant investments being made by oil and gas companies in deep water projects.

About MesoCoat:

MesoCoat, the new Duracell of the coating industry, is a venture-backed nanotechnology materials science company fast becoming a world leader in metal protection and repair through their revolutionary “long life”  coating and “high speed” cladding technologies. The company‟s transformational surface engineering technologies have already been the recipient of three prestigious R&D 100 awards, a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) award for „100 year life coatings for infrastructure‟, and the NorTech Innovation Award for environmentally friendly coatings. Through Partnerships with the Departments of Defense and Energy, and leading Oil and Gas companies; MesoCoat has developed high strength, high toughness ceramic-metallic materials and high speed fusion cladding processes providing unparalleled wear and corrosion resistance; and has verified performance, productivity, and cost benefits with industry leaders in Oil &

Gas, Aerospace, Energy Generation, and Maritime industries. MesoCoat is now commercializing several of their products and services that are a direct replacement for hard chrome plating, as well as weld cladding processes to address the needs of both Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) and Maintenance and Repair Organizations (MRO). MesoCoat, Inc.is a JumpStart, Inc. and Abakan, Inc. Portfolio Company.

About Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.:

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras) is a leading integrated oil and gas company headquartered in Rio de Janiero, Brazil.

Petrobras is the largest company in Latin America with a current market capitalization of $141 billion on revenues of $128 billion in 2009. Petrobras is involved in exploration, production, refining, transportation,  marketing, and distribution of oil and gas products in 18 countries in Africa, the Americas, Europe and Asia. Assets include more than 100 production platforms, 16 refineries, 30,000 kilometers of pipeline, and 6,000 gas stations. Petrobras also leads in advanced technology for deep-water and ultra-deep water oil production.

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Source: Mesocoat, January  18, 2011;