For most people from Vancouver (BC, Canada), Triple-O means a popular (they use the word legendary) sauce used on hamburgers at a local restaurant chain, The White Spot. There is another tripleO (one that will save much money for British Airways [BA]) according to the Jan. 9, 2012 news item on Nanowerk,

British Airways is to extend a trial of an innovative paint coating designed to improve fuel efficiency in a move that could save the airline millions of pounds in fuel costs.

The tripleO coating bonds with the surface materials – such as paintwork, bare metal, leading edges and even rivets – to which it is being applied. It creates a perfectly smooth finish, forming a barrier to prevent dirt building up on the aircraft and improving aerodynamics.

It was applied to a British Airways Airbus A318 aircraft which operates exclusively on the London City to New York route. During the year long trial period, the aircraft used less fuel than a second Airbus A318, which did not have the coating.

The coating will now be applied to a Boeing 777-200, with data being collected during a further trial period. It is hoped that applying the coating to larger aircraft will result in an even greater fuel efficiency improvement, with the airline hoping to save in excess of £100,000 during the 777 trial.

…

As well as improving fuel efficiency, tripleO also improves the aircraft appearance, and leads to prolonged paint life. Further environmental benefits come from less frequent cleaning and painting.

I assume that tripleO is projecting that millions of pounds will be saved based on the first test. Why do they not give any numbers, e.g. amount saved on fuel costs over the period of the test?

I was able to get some more information on the company website although I found it a bit confusing. According to the company’s History page, it was founded in 2002,

Paul Booker and his wife Tania established ooops.net limited on June 11th 2002 and having moved into their brand new premises on October 1st 2002 commenced trading on October 15th 2002 as specialists in the repair, painting, maintenance and ‘detailing’ of all types of transportation, exterior and interior.

In 2007, after scouring the world our highly experienced and expert team found an innovative nano-technology paint sealant that was being used by the US Military and Government and the dynamic team at ooops! named it tripleO protection system and sought to distribute and apply this unique, proven and high performance coating technology product to the automotive market.

Yet this is claimed on the company’s Product page,

tripleO is over 30 years old

Our unique tripleO solution is proven in some of the most challenging applications, for some of the world’s most demanding organisations and industries.

At the turn of the millennium, tripleO was enhanced with nano-technology and has been proven by the U.S. Military to be so much more than an aircraft polish, protective coating or yacht varnish.

Maybe they licenced the product? In any event, they do boast these features (from the Product page),

• Reduce ‘drag’ in the air, on the road or through the water; helping you reduce fuel consumption.
• Remove and eliminate ‘debris build up’ on external surfaces – including contaminants from ice and dirt to sea water – again helping you reduce energy consumption.
• Optimise your carbon footprint to meet your statutory environmental obligations.
• Protect external and internal surfaces; increasing working life and return on your investment, while reducing cost of ownership.
• Better clean and present exteriors and interiors; enhancing your livery, brand reputation and service levels.

Interestingly, they claim the product has neither silicon nor teflon but they don’t offer any details about it other than claim that it is  a nanotechnology-enabled paint coating.