Hexprotect® patented 2010
Patent history of the hexagonal floating cover line
The world's first self-ballasting hexagonal cover — and the pre-ballasted workhorse that succeeded it. Two AWTT products, one engineering arc, sixteen years of field validation.
Hexprotect® — the original (patented 2010)
AWTT was granted the patent for the original Hexprotect® cover in 2010. It was the world's first self-ballasting hexagonal floating cover: a tessellated modular element that floats independently, dissipates wind energy through controlled lateral motion, and deploys at high effective coverage without anchors. The patent unlocked a new category of industrial floating cover that had not existed before.
The original Hexprotect® was a genuine first — and the first generation surfaced three shortcomings AWTT set out to fix: an open inside chamber that, in service, became a harbour for algae and bacterial growth; a water ballast that could be lost when the float tipped in certain wind or wave conditions; and a shell less durable than AWTT wanted to underwrite for 25+ year industrial deployments.
Hexprotect® AQUA — the pre-ballasted workhorse (released 2009)
Hexprotect® AQUA was released in 2009 as AWTT's answer. The element is moulded in a single piece — no inside chamber, so no algae harbour — and pre-filled at the factory with potable water as fully-contained ballast that cannot be lost when the float tips. The shell is virgin HDPE with a UV and oxidation additive package, engineered for a 25+ year service life in the most demanding industrial environments. The outer surface has no recessed areas, so debris and dirt shed naturally and the cover stays clean over time. AQUA has been AWTT's most-sold cover since release and now serves as the workhorse of the AWTT product line, hurricane-rated and NSF/ANSI food-grade-specifiable.
Patent and product timeline
- 2009 — Hexprotect® AQUA released: pre-ballasted, one-piece moulded variant designed to resolve the inside-chamber, ballast-loss, and durability shortcomings of the original Hexprotect®.
- 2010 — Original Hexprotect® patent granted to AWTT covering the world's first self-ballasting hexagonal floating cover.
- 2010s — Deployment expansion across mining, water utilities, oil and gas, and biogas industries. US Department of Energy recognition. Hurricane testing validation. Peer-reviewed evaporation studies.
- 2024 — EuroCover Water Systems established as the EU distribution partner and the EuroCover-tooled Hexofloat® product line approved by AWTT.
- 2026 — 700+ installations, 25 countries, 20M+ sq ft cumulative deployment across the AWTT cover line.
Engineering validation
- Hurricane testing — wind-load validation against Category 4 conditions. AWTT publishes wind certification of 130+ MPH (209+ km/h) for Hexprotect® AQUA and can specify the cover hurricane-rated. The pre-ballasted design holds position without anchor failure.
- US Department of Energy — recognition for the heat-retention contribution (reduced surface heat loss on hot wells and digesters).
- USDA Bureau of Reclamation — independent evaporation-rate measurements across multiple deployments in the western US.
- University studies — multiple peer-reviewed evaluations of evaporation suppression, algae suppression, and lifecycle performance.
Manufacturing and provenance
The cover is manufactured under the original patent specification. Every element ships with provenance — material certificate, batch identification, and warranty registration to the manufacturer of record. Replacement-parts compatibility is maintained across production years, allowing operators to extend deployments incrementally over the 25+ year service life of Hexprotect® AQUA.
Authenticity matters
The hexagonal form factor is visible and easy to copy. The patented engineering — and the pre-ballasted, one-piece moulded construction that distinguishes Hexprotect® AQUA from older self-ballasting designs — is not. The original product line carries documented wind-resistance modelling, lifecycle proof, NSF/ANSI food-grade certification history, and replacement-parts compatibility that copies do not. For industrial water operators where regulatory compliance is non-negotiable, the difference matters.
EuroCover Water Systems distributes the authentic original — Hexprotect® AQUA — across the EU, and offers the AWTT-design-approved EuroCover-tooled Hexofloat® where EU-origin or short lead time is the binding project constraint.
About the inventor
The original inventor's biographical narrative will appear here once verified with primary sources.