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Pipeline Coatings Makers Face Historic Demands

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Increasingly hostile new pipeline environments and decaying multinational systems will lead the critical challenges under discussion when coatings and linings manufacturers, researchers and others in the industry meet at Pipeline Coating 2011.

Worldwide demand for oil, gas and water is driving new pipeline networks into ever-more complex and difficult situations, just as older networks need replacing, heightening the demand for long-lifespan products.

The pipeline coatings industry is responding with market developments and innovations in technology and materials, including those for deep sea pipes and internal pipe coatings.

Focus on Security, Performance

Today’s advances and tomorrow’s challenges will be the focus of Pipeline Coating 2011, presented by Applied Market Information Ltd. in February.

There are rising demands for pipelines to secure the supply of gas to Europe, and Denso has studied the requirements of the OPAL pipeline. As the Stegal pipeline is extended, Basell Polyolefine has had the opportunity to inspect an advanced three-layer PE coating after five years of service.

In the UK, Tata Steel has been looking at the performance of polypropylene wet insulation systems. Laboratories like Exova are reviewing specifications for cathodic disbondment in order to select appropriate test methods. Berry Plastics is looking at the safety performance of buried steel pipelines in high-consequence areas.

FBE Advances, Self-Healing Studies

Canusa-CPS is studying dielectric pipeline coatings. Demand is increasing for higher-performance Fusion Bonded Epoxy coatings with better damage resistance. 3M has advanced damage-resistant, flexible FBE coatings, and Dow Coatings Materials has new toughening technology for FBE. In the United Arab Emirates, Jotun Powder Coatings has reviewed FBE technology to improve pipeline safety. There have been studies of self-healing coatings from companies such as Stopaq.

Meanwhile, Petroleum Development Oman has examined a new specification for internal liquid coating systems for carbon steel and line pipes. Powder coatings are also used internally, which Valspar will discuss. Polyamides are increasingly being applied in performance pipelines; PA11 from Arkema has been applied by a new robot system in internal field joints. Pipe coatings are cutback for joining, and Osborn International provides brush technology for this and for weld cleaning.

Subsea and Offshore Materials

Many manufacturers continue to pursue research on subsea coatings which take a hammering from salt-water exposure, installation, pressure, low temperature, abrasion and other factors. Det Norske Veritas has issued new recommendations for submarine pipeline coatings.

Bredero Shaw has studied the requirements for deep offshore insulation materials, while BASF Polyurethanes has developed long-term prediction tests for the decomposition of PU insulation in deep sea.

The program kicks off with a review of the markets by AMI consultant Noru Tsalic. PetroChina will outline the Chinese perspective on pipe coating, and the Wasco Coatings Group from Malaysia will add to the Asian input.

Pipeline Coating 2011 will take place from Feb. 7-9 at the Renaissance Hotel in Vienna, Austria.