The light upgrade in 2022 was part of the $1.5 billion WACA Ground Improvement Project. WA Cricket CEO, Christina Matthews explained the value of the new lighting and coating: “This investment will significantly reduce the running costs of the lights and extend the life of these towers by 25 years.”
As head contractor for the project, Blu Electrical Services coordinated the light upgrade, installing the lighting and overseeing the coating applicators. "Product availability and local support were key factors in choosing Dulux Protective Coatings," said David Currie, Operations Manager at Blu Electrical Services.
UV protection critical to extend asset life
Our technical coatings team in Western Australia (WA) focused on extending the asset maintenance cycle, to reduce costs and support overall longevity.
Business Development Executive Michael Filmer explains: "When you're dealing with extreme heights and accessibility challenges, it's particularly crucial to deliver longevity in the coating system."
To resist the extreme weathering and UV radiation encountered at such heights, Dulux® Quantum® V92 was selected as the topcoat. The Quantum V92 two pack fluoropolymer was created to deal with Australia and New Zealand’s high UV environments.
"Quantum® V92 offers long exterior durability and excellent colour and gloss retention," says Michael. "It reduces maintenance cost by significantly extending the time between maintenance cycles."
Dulux® Durebild® STE was first applied in two coats. This surface tolerant epoxy provides excellent barrier protection for steelwork.
Specification and application support
Dulux® Protective Coatings specified the following application process:
- Two coats of Durebild® STE, each spray applied at a thickness of 125-microns (µm).
- A single topcoat with Quantum® V92 in White, sprayed at 100-microns (µm).
Blu Electrical Services coordinated the light upgrade, installing the lighting and overseeing the coating applicators. The headframes were dismantled into three sections and lowered 70 metres to the ground.
While the initial plan was to apply the coatings in a spray workshop, the frames were deemed too large to transport through the city. Instead, a spray booth was set up at Gloucester Park just across the road.
"With cranes hired to bring the frames up and down, we knew any coatings hold-ups would cost the project. We were on site to support the application team and make sure everything ran to schedule," Michael says.
Zedcon Scientific Services provided independent coatings inspections throughout the preparation and application of the system. The headframes were reinstalled in time for the summer of cricket.
