corrosion protection | Internal coating
Planning the project Once the customer’s corrosion management plan is complete, CRTS engineers in Tulsa, Oklahoma, US, test the coating robot for compatibility with the customer’s chosen coating product (FBE or liquid epoxy). The project location, climate and geography are part of this design and analysis. This pre-planning phase is essential to prevent inadequate protection levels of coating (and corrosion prevention) in pipelines3 The CRTS robotic IFJ coating system comprises six
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Above: Damaged protection sleeves - robotic coating provides pipeline operators with an alternative corrosion protection option
increase throughput and reduce wax and hydrate formation; l IFJ coating helps maintain wall thickness. Corrosion reduces pipe wall thickness, which results in a higher safety risk to the pipeline and the public; l IFJ coating will reduce OPEX due to lower ongoing repair costs; l IFJ coating provides the environmental benefit of reducing the likelihood and delaying the onset of any leakages; l The IFJ coating process is environmentally-acceptable. The FBE powders and plural component liquid epoxy used in the CRTS system contain no volatile organic compounds while abrasive grit used to robotically-clean each IFC is recycled and re-used to cut wastage.
Right: A
complete CRTS robotic coating train on deck on a pipeline laying vessel
Effective protection The World Corrosion Organization’s 2009 report2 warning that “corrosion prevention is only effective” when the corrosion process is prevented should be a wake-up call for the pipeline industry. Fortunately, coating just the remaining 2% of the
internal surface area of a pipe can lead to 100% protection from internal corrosion, addressing the insidious threat that can lead to devastating pipeline catastrophes. CRTS practices this prevention premise by making
corrosion prevention technologies a top priority when working with pipeline owners. The pipeline design and analysis are discussed with contractors and subcon- tractors prior to each project to help realise cost-saving techniques that protect the pipe, the pipe owner’s interests and the environment, but just as important is the actual protective coating service. This approach proved very successful on a recent Middle East project where an offshore project was finished three months earlier than scheduled.
36 PIPELINE COATING | May 2013
key components: l Crawler – the primary motivation device; l Battery cart – duplicating the battery and drive system on the Crawler; l Cleaner – prepares the IFJ surface and creates an anchor profile; l Vacuum – cleans the IFJ surface after cleaning; l Liquid or FBE Coater – applies the protective coating and includes an onboard camera for visual verification of the coated weld; l Inspection machine – measures the applied coating thickness, detects holidays and allows visual inspection. The train configuration differs according to the type of
project. An offshore robotic train configuration consists of a crawler, battery cart, cleaner and vacuum, and a coater. Onshore projects are usually configured in sets of three: a battery cart, crawler, and cleaner-vacuum perform the cleaning process; a crawler and coater perform the coating process; and a crawler and inspec- tion machine perform the coating thickness measuring and holiday detecting process (where requested). In addition to the pre-planning and quality work methods, CRTS offers an inspection service, which is one of the most important aspects of evaluating applied coating integrity. When a customer incorporates both robotic holiday inspection and dry film thickness reading
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