Improve pipeline performance

Steel pipelines are used to transport oil, gas and water over long distances, often at high pressures and sometimes at elevated temperatures. Energy and water supply is a critical issue globally; couple this with the escalating costs of finding or delivering energy and water supplies and the political and economic imperative to secure supply has driven activity in steel pipeline construction to new heights and forecasts predict high activity for some years to come.

In light of this favourable growth in steel pipeline construction, Borealis has focussed on developing leading polyolefin products for protection of steel pipelines. Our Borcoat line of products is used to protect on-shore pipelines in the cold of Russia and Canada to the desert heat the Middle East. Borcoat polypropylene based thermal insulation systems are used in demanding sub-sea applications where resistance to high temperatures and high water pressure is sometimes required.

Field Joints

Pipeline owners look for cost effective, low maintenance protection for the lifetime of pipelines. The high risks of failure during operation caused by premature corrosion are mitigated by correctly specified and applied line pipe coating and cathodic protection systems. One area of concern that has been highlighted by some well publicised failures is the protection of welded field joints.

Field joints are made every 12-15 metres along the pipeline during the construction phase and the protection of the weld joint has been subject to lots of discussion recently. Although the field joint market is relatively small, perhaps only 5% of the total pipe coating market, failure that results in corrosion and down rating of the pressure, or even complete failure has a very big effect on the safety and economics of the pipeline. The new ISO standard, (ISO21809-3) for field joints offers many different solutions but there are still well known issues around compatibility between polyolefins and the field joint products and the techniques for application of existing field joint materials.

Novel Techniques

Borealis has recognised this problem and has been working to develop solutions that are compatible with line pipe coating and provide cost effective performance for the lifetime of the pipeline. Apart from developing novel polyolefin compounds we have been working with partners to provide solutions that can not only meet the requirements of the new ISO standard for field joints, but they actually meet the requirements for the line pipe specification, (ISO 21809-1, currently in draft).

Currently the main field joint solutions are shrink sleeves made from polyolefins with an adhesive backing or liquid applied epoxy or urethane coating. Borealis, together with our partners, has developed novel solutions for field joints: one solution uses our new Borcoat ME3000FC or BB5000FC, functionalised topcoats, together with a semi-automatic machine, manufactured by KWH Tech. Ltd of Finland, to extrude a field joint.

Being semi-automatic, it makes for a reproducible, fast and economic joint that is fully adherent and fused to the original line pipe coating. Another solution uses Borcoat materials in tape form. This is applied in a semi-molten form, by machine which wraps the tape spirally. The combination of heat, pressure and time makes for a fully fused joint coating with the original line pipe coating.