Galeão International Airport, Rio de Janeiro

Project Overview

The Project

The airport at Praia do Galeão is the main airport in Rio de Janeiro and temporarily became famous as the destination of Air France’s maiden Concorde flight as well as appearing in the James Bond film “Moonraker”¹. Every day, flights leave Brazil’s second largest hub travelling to destinations all over the world, but also to domestic locations within Brazil such as the Iguaçu Falls, São Paulo or capital city Brasília. In the ten years up to 2013, the number of passengers increased from 3.6 to 10 million², so it was high time that the capacity be expanded once again for the upcoming football World Cup in 2014 and the 2016 Olympic Games. Starting in 2012, the two semi-circular terminals 1 and 2 were therefore refurbished or building work continued, and an additional car park was created³.

Passive Fire Protection

360° service

The client, contractors and Unifrax Brasil, our on-site Nullifire distributor all worked in close collaboration to define the necessary requirements for the fire-protection coating: quick, safe and durable, to ensure that passengers can be evacuated within 60 minutes following the renovation. The solution that was identified based on these requirements features corrosion protection: Nullifire S707-60, a water based intumescent coating suitable for internal use on structural steelwork engineered for 60 minute fire resistance. SC707-60 was applied in ultra-thin layers on site. One of the products main advantages is the quick-drying layers, which helped to significantly speed up the construction process. “This helped the contractor to stick to the schedule agreed with the client”, points out Renato Bernardes, Fire Protection Sales & Marketing Manager Unifrax Brasil.

The low layer thickness also means that the steel construction could remain visible while not impairing the airport’s architectural impression. No less than 2900 canisters at 25 kg of SC707-60 and 20 canister at 25 kg of SC902 were applied in different areas on this construction site: at 12 new gates, at the steel building parking and some specific areas of Terminals 1 and 2.

Verified to international standards

Thanks to this coating, the steel construction has a fire resistance duration of at least 60 minutes. This means that it is verified to the UK standard. These are recognised standards in Brazil, and provide international passengers with a familiar and trusted fire-protection standard.

“Nullifire S707-60 has also easily fulfilled further specifications”, adds Renato Bernardes. At 21 g/litre, this product has an extremely low VOC value and thus contains no substances of very high concern. This means sustainable health protection both for contractors during the coating process and for passengers spending time at the airport.

¹, ², ³ Source: Wikipedia