Internal coating | corrosion protection
into the system, immediate qualitative results become available for viewing and discussion. The rigorous protocol of pipe preparation used by CRTS and based on pre-cleaning, application and final inspection of the coating is critical in achieving optimal corrosion protection. The U.S. Department of Transpor- tation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration reported that 11.2% of all reported US pipeline incidents in 2011 were caused by internal corrosion. Furthermore, maintaining and protecting pipeline from corrosion costs US projects anywhere from $3,000-$6,500 per kilometer annually, according to former NACE International president Mark Byerley. For gas/condensate pipeline projects, which
naturally invite internal corrosion, paraffin, water condensation and other unwanted problems into the pipeline, IFJ coating is a welcome solution. These elements are often addressed by using pigs to locate problem areas, a reliable method for most pipelines, but again the prevention is usually worth as much or more than the rehabilitation cure.
Pipeline accountability While the energy industry needs to be informed about corrosion prevention techniques such as coating internal field joints, pipeline owners are not the only ones keeping tabs on the internal corrosion disease. Protests from Burma to Canada demonstrate the public’s keen interest in how much benefit or damage a proposed pipeline will do. Entities such as the Natural Resources Defense Council, Greenpeace, and the Pipeline Safety Trust regularly prepare reports for public dissemination about upcoming pipeline projects, holding pipeline owners accountable for using corrosion prevention techniques, a “fundamental and key enabling” factor to this end4
. Industry research also backs the need for internal
corrosion prevention solutions. An Alberta, Canada, study released in June 2009 demonstrated that 39% of Canada’s operating pipeline failures were due to internal corrosion5
common corrosion means and addresses many past corrosion problems. For instance, it says IFJ coating helps counteract the corrosive presence of oxygen (O2 carbon dioxide (CO2
), hydrogen sulphide (H2 ”. . The study is representative of many ), S) and free
water, which “can cause severe corrosion problems in oil and gas pipelines6
IFJ coating in action With the facts and figures deeply ingrained in the industry, it pays to assess the options thoroughly. A recent offshore project undertaken by CRTS to coat nearly 2,300 IFJs involved a lengthy and productive corrosion manage-
Critical efficiency Key to this success in avoiding critical path was the diligence on the customer’s part and the organization of the CRTS crew. Working two 12-hour shifts with eight field technicians and a project manager kept the IFJ cleaning and coating process efficient. Field technicians were positioned on the lay barge at various stations to clean, coat and inspect each weld. Another field technician kept a close eye on the video monitors to inspect each part of the process, and live feedback allowed any issues to be corrected on the spot. The inspection segment was available to the customer on-site and on demand. This service is part of the CRTS quality plan. IFJ coating is not the only corrosion protection technology available. Alternatives include couplings,
May 2013 | PIPELINE COATING 37
ment selection that took several years to complete. However, the customer realised that IFJ coating at the construction phase was essential to minimise intelligent pigging and other related costly methods of “cure.” This plan correlates directly to Wood Group Integrity Management principal advisor Binder Singh’s observa- tion to NACE that international surveys find internal corrosion in offshore oil and gas pipeline failures “more than 50% of the time…and inspection, monitoring, and repair are very difficult and costly7
”. CRTS made an initial coating technology presenta-
tion to the customer and then the customer developed its own internal procedure and specifications. Later, when the company was ready to build, CRTS performed a hands-on demonstration (pre-production test) for the customer at its Tulsa facility. Although the customer wanted the corrosion prevention coating applied, it also expected that CRTS would be critical path. Fortunately, the coating process was critical path on only two of nearly 2,300 internal field joints.
Above: Effective offshore
organisation can avoid
internal joint coating
becoming critical path
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48