Sparc Technologies has announced the execution of an agreement (Trial Agreement) with BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA). The Trial Agreement details the terms and conditions under which Sparc and BMA will conduct a collaborative field trial involving testing of an ecosparc® enhanced coating in coal handling and processing plant (CHPP) infrastructure at the Goonyella Riverside Mine (GRM) in Queensland.
The Trial Agreement with BMA represents a continuation of Sparc’s strategy of working with asset owners across government, defense, mining and oil & gas to demonstrate the performance of ecosparc® enhanced coatings in relevant real-world environments. The temperature, moisture and conditions within the CHPP at GRM, located in Moranbah, Queensland are well suited for an effective field trial. The field trial will provide valuable performance data for potential customers, building on over 6 years of research and development and >10,000 data points from accelerated cyclic corrosion testing in the laboratory.
Sparc Managing Director, Mr. Nick O’Loughlin, commented: “Sparc is very pleased to be working with BHP Mitsubishi Alliance, Australia’s largest producer and supplier of seaborne metallurgical coal, to complete field trials of ecosparc® enhanced coating in its coal handling facilities. The conditions within the CHPP offers an ideal setting to benchmark the ecosparc® enhanced coating against an existing market-leading product. We thank BMA for the innovative approach they have shown by supporting this field trial.”
As per the previously announced field trials with the South Australian Department of Infrastructure and Transport, 29Metals and Santos, the trial at GRM will compare the performance of an ecosparc® enhanced coating with a market leading anti-corrosive paint. Sparc’s key obligations, as outlined in the Trial Agreement, are to supply the agreed quantities of ecosparc® enhanced and unmodified control coatings to BMA at Sparc’s cost, along with specified application instructions. BMA’s obligations include to prepare the agreed steel infrastructure and to arrange for application of the ecosparc® enhanced and control coatings at its own cost.
The trial will be monitored over 24 months, with initial results expected within 6-12 months. While the financial impact of the Trial Agreement is negligible, the Trial Agreement is strategically important as it represents another key milestone in validating Sparc’s graphene based additive product on critical
infrastructure in relevant real-world environments.
