project study | Water supply
Location of the Dikgatlhong reservoir and pipeline
Image souce: aymatth2/ Wikimedia Commons/ CC-BY-SA-3.0
specifi ed using 3LPE systems. While this involves a marginal increase in coating system cost, the higher level of mechanical and corrosion protection provided can signifi cantly reduce the whole-life unit delivery costs, the company says. Asia, Africa and the Middle East present particular
challenges to pipe coating engineers due to the high ambient temperatures and UV radiation levels, says Borouge. Aggressive soil conditions and the remote- ness of many installation locations intensifi es these challenges. Engineers at Borealis and Borouge have developed its latest black bimodal PE topcoat – Borcoat HE3450-H - specifi cally for applications in these demanding areas of the world. The company says Borcoat HE3450-H uses a new
co-monomer and in-house developed Borstar polymeri- sation technology. Compared to standard HDPE top
Project: Coater:
Dikgatlhong pipeline, Botswana Seven Star, Botswana
Application/Product: Black bimodal HDPE top coat for water trunk main pipeline Grade used: Functional
Borcoat HE3450-H
Requirements: Product benefi ts:
Improved mechanical properties at higher temperatures Easy to process and good bonding to pipe
Higher Vicat softening temperature Higher surface hardness and resistance to indentation Higher tensile strength and fl exural modulus Improved resistance to abrasion Excellent resistance to slow crack growth Increased extruder output during coating
22 PIPELINE COATING | November 2012
coats, it is claimed to provide a higher surface hard- ness, improved environmental stress crack resistance and tensile strength, and increased moisture barrier performance at service temperatures up to 90°C. It is also said to process faster, allowing coating application speeds to be increased. Like the standard HE3450 grade, the Borcoat HE3450-H resin can be applied using fl at die side extrusion or crosshead extrusion methods. The Department of Water Affairs demanded a high
level of protection for this critical pipeline and devel- oped a technical specifi cation based on the Canadian CSA Z245.21 pipe coating standard. Local pipe coating company Seven Star won the coating contract with its bid based on the use of Borcoat HE3450-H and Borcoat ME0420 grafted adhesive. Seven Star, which is majority-owned by China’s Huludao Seven Star International Investment Group, commissioned its plant at Palapye using the Borcoat products. Borouge says this meant the company’s technical team were confi dent of the improved protec- tion they could provide in Botswana’s harsh environ- ment using the system. It says the entire coating operation went extremely smoothly and all the technical requirements of the specifi cation were achieved. In total, 1,200 tonnes of Borcoat HE3450-H and ME0420 adhesive was required to complete the project. Meanwhile, Borouge coating materials are also being used in a major water distribution project in the western Indian state of Gujarat. According to the polymer manufacturer, Gujarat’s fast industrial growth rates
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