Pipe Coatings

F OR OI L A N D GA S P I P E LIN ES
Pipeline is a main energy-efficient

means for natural gas
transportation from fields to
customs. Pipelines are Internally
coated to save them from
corrosion and externally coated to
save them from environment.
Increasing Technology - Operating Temperature
Bitumen (Bit)
Onshore
Coal-Tar Enamel (CTE)
Offshore
Cold-Applied Tapes (CAT)
Onshore
2-Layer Polyethylene (2LPE)
Onshore / Offshore
Fusion Bonded Epoxy (FBE)
Onshore / Offshore
3-Layer Polyethylene (3LPE)
Onshore / Offshore
3-Layer Polypropylene (3LPP)
Onshore /Offshore
Liquid Polymer Epoxies
Onshore/Offshore
Special
Offshore
Negative Buoyancy (Concrete Weight Coated)
Offshore
Insulated Pipe (PU foamed pipe with Jacket)
Onshore / Offshore
Deep Water Solutions (Thermotite)
Offshore
The coating provided helps

extending the lifetime of the
pipelines. FBE is a high
performance anti-corrosion
coating that provides excellent
protection for small and large
diameter pipelines with moderate
operating temperatures.
Fusion Bonded Epoxy coating

FO R O I L A ND G A S PIPE LI NES
Fusion bonded epoxy coating, commonly referred to as FBE coating, is an epoxy-based powder
coating that is widely used to protect steel pipe used in pipeline construction and on a wide variety of
piping connections, valves etc. from corrosion.
The name fusion-bond epoxy is due to resin cross-linking and the application method, which is
different from a conventional paint.
The resin and hardener components in the dry powder FBE stock remain unreacted at normal storage
conditions. At typical coating application temperatures, usually in the range of 180 to 250 , the
contents of the powder melt and transform to a liquid form.
The liquid FBE film wets and flows onto the steel surface on which it is applied, and soon becomes a
solid coating by chemical cross-linking, assisted by heat. This process is known as fusion bonding.
The chemical cross-linking reaction taking place in this case is irreversible.

Once the curing takes place, the coating cannot be returned to its original form by any means.
Application of further heating will not melt the coating and thus it is known as a thermoset coating.
Essential components of a powder coating are Resin , Hardener or curing agent

Fillers and Colour pigment
In Fusion bonded epoxy coatings the resin part is an "epoxy" type resin. Epoxy or
Oxirane structure contains a three membered cyclic ring one oxygen atom connected
to two carbon atoms - in the resin molecule. This part is the most reactive group in the
epoxy
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Various
types of curing agents, used in FBE manufacture, include
dicyandiamide, aromatic amines, aliphatic diamines, etc. The selected curing agent
determines the nature of the final FBE product like chemical resistance, brittleness,
flexibility etc.
In addition to these two major components, FBE coatings include fillers, pigments, extenders and
various additives, to provide desired properties. These components control characteristics such as
permeability, hardness, colour, thickness, gouge resistance etc. All of these components are normally
dry solids, even though small quantities of liquid additives may be used in some FBE formulations. If
used, these liquid components are sprayed into the formulation mix during pre-blending in the
manufacturing process.
Regardless of the shape and type of steel surface to be coated, the

FBE powder coating application has three essential stages:
1.The steel surface is thoroughly cleaned,

2.The cleaned metal part is heated to the
recommended FBE powder application temperature,
and
3.The application and curing stage.
It is important to remove grease or oil contamination

prior to blast cleaning. Solvent cleaning, burn-off,
etc., are commonly used for this purpose.
In the blast cleaning process, compressed air (610

to 760 kPa) is used to force an abrasive onto the
surface to be cleaned. Aluminum oxide, steel grit,
steel shot, garnet, coal slag, etc., are the frequently
used abrasives.
The roughness of the steel achieved after blasting is
referred to as profile, which is measured in
micrometers . Commonly used to profile ranges for
FBE coatings are 37 to 100 micrometers . The
surface if blasted creates roughness and increases
the surface area available for bonding.
The action of steel grits
The Anchor like structure created

on the surface helps in holding
the coating as shown.
The increased bond with the coating due to increased surface area due to blasting
A thin layer of Cr2(SO4)3 is applied on

the surface to make the surface more
adhesive to the epoxy which will be
applied in subsequent stages. The
application of the chromate layer
improvises the adhesive properties of
the surface but if the Thickness of the
layer > 2 micrometre then a brittle
layer over the pipe undermines the
surface properties.
The inspection for proper application
of the chromate layer involves visual
inspection of the layer. The colour must
be between light yellow and light
brown.
The most commonly used heating

methods are induction heating
or oven heating. The steel part is
passed through a high frequency
alternating current magnetic field,
which heats the metal part to the
required FBE coating application
temperature. Typical application
temperature for a stand alone FBE
is 225 to 245C.Other methods of
heating are oven heating, infrared heating, etc.
The particles of epoxy get negatively charged when they get in interaction with the
nozzle and due to voltage applications the surrounding region of the nozzle gets
negatively charged and this region is called CORONA. The particle of epoxy gets
attached to the positively charged pipe. The charged powder particles uniformly
wraps around the substrate, and melts into a liquid form.
The key parameters that control the thickness of epoxy coating are Voltage and
Pressure.
Internal surfaces of pipes are coated using spraying lances, which travel from one
end to the other end of the heated pipe at a uniform speed, while the pipe is being
rotated in its longitudinal axis.
Standard coating thickness range of stand-alone FBE coatings is between 250 to
500 micrometres.
When the Epoxy powder is sprayed on the pipe the powder

goes through four stages to form the coating
a. Fusion of the particles : The epoxy particles get fused with
each other due to high temperature of the pipe.
b. Coalescence: The fused epoxy particles coalesce with each
other to form big droplets.
c. Flow : When the droplets are big enough they flow around
the pipe. The above three processes generally take 10
seconds to get completed.
d. Film Formation : With increasing droplets the drops join
together to form the film of epoxy
The molten powder flows into the profile and bonds with the steel. The molten
powder will become a solid coating, when the gel time is over, which usually
occurs within few seconds after coating application. The resin part of coating will
undergo cross-linking, which is known as curing under the hot condition..
Depending on the FBE coating system, full cure can be achieved in less than
one minute to few minutes.(150C)
The advantage of pipe is that their round shape allows continuous linear application
over the exterior surface, while the parts are moved in a conveyor through the powder
application booth, ensuring high throughput. On fittings, etc., the coating is applied by
manual spray guns. Another method of application is "fluid-dip" process, in which the
heated components are dipped in a fluidized powder bed . For FBE coating application
on the interior of pipe surface, a lance is used. The lance enters into the pre-heated
pipe, and starts spraying the powder from the opposite end, while the pipe is being
rotated on its axis and the lance pulls out in a pre-determined speed.
On fittings such as Tee's, elbows, bends, etc., powder can be sprayed using hand held
spray guns. Small sized fittings can also be coated by dipping in a fluidized bed of
powder, after heating the steel to the required powder application temperature. After
field welding of the pipe ends, FBE can be applied on the weld area as well.
Final Product is received after

many inspections and testing by
comparing with many standards.

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F OR OI L A N D GA S P I P E LIN ES

Pipeline is a main energy-efficient

Increasing Technology - Operating Temperature

Coal-Tar Enamel (CTE)

Cold-Applied Tapes (CAT)

2-Layer Polyethylene (2LPE)

Fusion Bonded Epoxy (FBE)

3-Layer Polyethylene (3LPE)

3-Layer Polypropylene (3LPP)

Liquid Polymer Epoxies

Insulated Pipe (PU foamed pipe with Jacket)

Deep Water Solutions (Thermotite)

The coating provided helps

Fusion Bonded Epoxy coating

The chemical cross-linking reaction taking place in this case is irreversible.

Essential components of a powder coating are Resin , Hardener or curing agent

Regardless of the shape and type of steel surface to be coated, the

1.The steel surface is thoroughly cleaned,

It is important to remove grease or oil contamination

In the blast cleaning process, compressed air (610

The action of steel grits

The Anchor like structure created

A thin layer of Cr2(SO4)3 is applied on

The most commonly used heating

When the Epoxy powder is sprayed on the pipe the powder

Final Product is received after

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