EVALUATION OF PIPELINE

COATINGS FOR LONG TERM

PERFORMANCE
 WHY COATINGS ?

 CORROSION PROTECTION
– External from Environmental conditions
(soil, moisture etc.)

– Internal from Product

(contents, moisture, temperature etc.)
COATING SELECTION CRITERIA
 Service Conditions
– Temperature
 Field Performance
– Anti-corrosion Properties
– Electrical Properties
– Mechanical Properties
– Long-term Ageing Properties
 Easy Application and Field Repair
 Cost Effectiveness
 TYPE OF COATINGS

 EXTERNAL COATINGS
- Coal Tar Enamel Coating
- 3 Layer Polyethylene (3LPE) Coating
- 3 Layer Polypropylene (3LPP) Coating
- Fusion Bonded Epoxy (Single Layer/ Dual Layer)

 INTERNAL COATINGS
- Epoxy
COAL TAR ENAMEL COATING
COATING STRUCTURE :
 Synthetic Primer Layer
 Two layers of Coal Tar Enamel & Glass
Fibre Inner Wrap combination
 One Layer of Coal Tar Impregnated Glass
Fibre Outer Wrap
 Minimum Coating Thickness 4.7 mm
 Coating Standard BS 4164 & AWWA C203
 3 LAYER POLYETHYLENE/
POLYPROPYLENE COATING
COATING STRUCTURE :
 First Layer of FBE (approx.150 microns)
 Second layer of extruded co-polymer
adhesive (approx. 200 microns)
 Third layer of extruded polyethylene/
polypropylene (MDPE/HDPE)
 Total coating thickness 2 - 3.7 mm
 Coating Standard DIN 30670 / EN12068
 3 LAYER
POLYPROPYLENE COATING

Ist Layer FBE

3rd Layer Polypropylene 2nd Layer Copolymer Adhesive

 3 LAYER
POLYETHYLENE COATING

Ist Layer FBE

3rd Layer Polyethylene 2nd Layer Copolymer Adhesive

3 LAYER COATING PROCESS
 FUSION BONDED EPOXY
COATING
COATING STRUCTURE :
 First Layer of FBE (approx.450 microns)
 For Dual Layer –
- Second layer (approx. 300 microns)
- Total coating thickness 2 - 3.7 mm
 Coating Standard DIN 30670 / EN12068
DUAL LAYER FBE COATING

Ist Layer FBE

2nd Layer Mechanical Resistant Epoxy Layer

 COAL TAR ENAMEL COATING
 ADVANTAGES
– Easy to apply
– Good for subsequent concrete coating
– Cost economics
 DISADVANTAGES
– Poor mechanical properties
– Prone to damage during transportation &
construction
– Poor resistance against soil stresses
– Additional CP Stations
– Suitable for low operating temperature
– Environmental Restrictions
 3 LAYER POLYETHYLENE/
POLYPROPYLENE COATING
 ADVANTAGES
– Very good mechanical properties
– Minimum damage during transportation &
construction
– Good resistance against soil stresses
– Reduced CP current
– Suitable for operating temperature upto to
65oC (for PE) & 110oC (for PP)

 DISADVANTAGES
– Sensitive to application conditions
 FUSION BONDED EPOXY
COATING
 ADVANTAGES
– Ease of repair
– Economical

 DISADVANTAGES
– Poor mechanical properties
 COATING COMPARISON
CTE 3LPE 3LPP FBE
Service Conditions
Temperature, o C Upto 45 Upto 65 Upto 110 Upto 110

Anti-corrosion Properties
Resistance to Good Very Good Excellent Good
Moisture
Cathodic Fair Good Good Good
Disbondment
Electrical Properties
Coating Good Excellent Excellent Excellent
Resistance

Cathodic Protection Design

Current Density Very High Low Low Low
 COATING COMPARISON

CTE 3LPE 3LPP FBE

Mechanical Properties
Resistance to Fair Excellent Superior than Good
Impact PE
Resistance to Fair Very Good Excellent Good
Indentation
Resistance to Fair Excellent Superior than -
Peel PE
Resistance to Soil Fair Excellent Excellent Excellent
Stresses
Elongation Fair Excellent Excellent -
 COATING COMPARISON
CTE 3LPE 3LPP FBE
Long Term Ageing
Heat & Light Fair Very Good Very Good Very Good
Ageing
Application & Field Repair
Ease of Easy Relatively difficult Relatively Relatively
Application difficult difficult
Damages during High Low Low High
handling &
transportation
Ease of Field Easy Easy for small Easy for small Easy for
Repair repair, repair, small repair,
Cumbersome for Cumbersome Cumbersome
larger repair for larger for larger
repair repair
 GIRTH WELD JOINT COATINGS

A SECTION OF MAIN LINE COATING AT THE EDGES IS

LEFT UNCOATED AT THE COATING YARD TO
FACLITATE GIRTH WELDING

CUT BACK FOR DIFFERENT COATINGS

CTE - 200-250 mm
3LPE- 120-175 mm
3LPP- 120-175 mm
FBE - 75- 100 mm COATING CUT BACK
TYPE OF GIRTH WELD JOINT
COATINGS
 2 / 3 LAYER PE OR PP HEAT SHRINKABLE
JOINT COATING SYSTEMS

 3 PLY / 2 PLY OR 2 PLY /2 PLY COLD APPLIED

TAPES

 SPRAY APPLIED TAR URETHANES

 SPRAY APPLIED FUSION BONDED EPOXY

 SPRAY / BRUSH APPLIED FUSION BONDED

EPOXY
PREFERRED JOINT COATING
SYSTEMS

MAIN LINE COATING TYPE OF JOINT COATING

3 LAYER POLYETHYLENE 3 LAYER PE HEAT
SHRINKABLE SLEEVES
3 LAYER POLYPROPYLENE 3 LAYER PE OR PP HEAT
SHRINKABLE SLEEVES
FUSION BOND EPOXY 3 LAYER PE HEAT
SHRINKABLE SLEEVES OR
BRUSH /SPRAY APPLIED
LIQUID EPOXY COATING
COAL TAR ENAMEL 3 LAYER PE HEAT
SHRINKABLE SLEEVES
 FUNCTIONAL TESTING

 FUNCTIONAL TESTS GENERALLY

SPECIFIED ARE:
- ADHESION STRENGTH
- INDENTATION TEST
- IMPACT TEST
- COATING RESISTIVITY
- HEAT AGEING
- CATHODIC DISBONDMENT
- DEGREE OF CURE OF EPOXY
CRITICAL FUNCTIONAL
PROPERTIES

TWO CRITICAL FUNCTIONAL PROPERTIES

WHICH INDICATE PERFORMANCE OF PIPELINE
COATINGS ARE:

- ADHESION TO STEEL
- RESISTANCE TO CATHODIC DISBONDMENT

SHOW EXCELLENT RESULTS WHEN TESTING IS

CARRIED OUT ON NEW COATED PIPELINES &
DETERIORATION WITH TIME.
 CRITICAL FUNCTIONAL
PROPERTIES – WITH TIME
PEEL CHART
TEMP RANGE 28-40deg.C
240
220
200
Peel in N/cm @

180
10mm/minute

160
140
120
100
REQUIRED
80
PEEL VALUE
60
40 PEEL VALUE
AFTER SIX
20
MONTHS
0
1 4 7 10 13 16 19 22 25 28 31 34 37 40 43 46 49 52 55

Required Peel Peel Locations

REQUIRED PEEL
COATING PERFORMANCE

DETEORATION IN PROPERTIES HAVE BEEN

GENERALLY ATTRIBUTED TO APPLICATION
ERRORS:

- IMPROPER SURFACE PREPERATION

- CHLORIDE CONTAMINATION
- LOWER FBE THICKNESS OF 3LAYER
COATINGS
- LOWER PRE-HEAT OF STEEL PRIOR TO FBE
APPLICATION
- APPLICATION WINDOWS
 COATING PERFORMANCE

VARIOUS CORRECTIVE MEASURES HAVE BEEN

ADOPTED ARE:

- POTABLE WATER WASH

- CHROMATE TREATEMENT

- PHOSPHATE TREATEMENT

- INCREASING THICKNESS OF FBE FOR 3 LAYER

COATINGS
COATING FAILURES- 3LPE
COATING

NO BOND TO STEEL
COATING FAILURES- FBE
COATING

DELAMINATION OF FBE FROM STEEL

COATING FAILURES- FBE
COATING

DELAMINATION OF FBE FROM STEEL

EDGE DISBONDMENT
FAILURE - 3LPE
FBE DISBONDMENT
 COATING QUALITY
IMPROVEMENTS
PERFORMANCE TESTING :

- 28 DAYS CATHODIC DISBONDMENT TEST

- 100 DAYS HEAT AGEING TEST

THESE TESTS DO NOT PREDICT LONG TERM

PERFORMANCE OF COATING FOR PIPELINES EXPOSED
TO WIDE VARIETY OF SUB-SOIL CONDITIONS &
CATHODIC PROTECTION POTENTIALS.

HENCE REQUIREMENT OF TEST SAMPLES WHICH HAVE

BEEN AGED & BY EXTENDING TEST DURATION.
LONG TERM PERFORMANCE
EVALUATION OF COATINGS

HOT WATER IMMERSION TEST :

- AT 100C ABOVE Max. PIPELINE OPERATING
TEMPERATURE FOR 120 DAYS

ADHESION TEST

A GOOD COATING SHOULD RETAIN 75% OF ITS

ADHESIVE STRENGTH AFTER COMPLETION OF
HOT WATER IMMERSION TESTING.
TEST PROGRAM
A TEST PROGRAM WAS INITIATED BY COVALANCE
ADHESIVES BELGIUM TO EVALUATE VARIOUS
COATINGS USING HOT WATER IMMERSION TEST
METHOD FOR LONG TERM ADHESION.

RANDOMLY SELECTED COATINGS SAMPLES

WERE EVALUATED

- 3 LAYER POLYETHYLENE
- 3 LAYER POLYPRPOYLENE
- FUSION BOND EPOXY
 RESULTS OBSERVED……
Type of Test Peel Value Peel /Pull of Peel /Pull of
Coating Temperature on New Adhesion Adhesion
Sample after 60 days after 60 days

3LPE 600C 81.66 N/cm No peel No peel

100% 100%
failure to failure to
substrate substrate
3LPP 950C 248.5N/cm 17.72N/cm No peel

FBE 950C 1450 psi 580 psi 421 psi

SUGGESTIONS TO THE
INDUSTRY
– Pipeline coatings should be screened by testing
aged samples.

– Multi-layer coatings-3LPE/3LPP, should be

“System Engineered” in order to achieve long-
term bonding to steel and good chemical bonding
between copolymer and epoxy.

– There are good multi-layer coatings available that

do pass HWI.

– Specifications / standards should incorporate

long term tests to ensure long term adhesion of
the coating to steel.
Thank You