COATINGS IN THE ELECTRICITY SUPPLY INDUSTRY - PAST, PRESENT, AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE FUTURE

The cost of electricity, the reliability of its supply, the impact on the environment, and the global sustainability, are all forcing the su pply industry to make greater demands on the materials of construction of the generation, transmission, and distribution components. Not onl y is the performance being enhanced, but the requirements for durabili ty, and the ability to identify potential failures, to estimate remain ing life using non-intrusive methods, and to repair or replace quickly and effectively, are also subject to greater demands. Coatings play a n important role in all of these aspects. In this paper, a very genera l summary of some of the more important issues is presented. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.