Field joint coating of pipelines – effect of soluble salt contamination on 2-layer heat shrink sleeve performance
Authors: Smith Frazer Howard 
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– During offshore pipe-lay, pipe lengths with anticorrosion coating are welded together, and, to facilitate the welding process, the ends of the pipe remain uncoated. A wide range of field joint coating (FJC) types is available for coating this bare section, functioning in conjunction with the pipeline cathodic protection system to provide an anti-corrosion system or package. This paper aims to relate to two-layer type heat shrink sleeves (2LHSS), which commonly are used for FJC of concrete-weighted offshore pipelines where the sleeve typically is over-coated with a solid or foam type polyurethane “infill”. Similar sleeves also are used sometimes in exposed conditions on lines without concrete over-coating. The maximum allowable soluble salt contamination prior to application of high-performance coating systems can vary, depending upon the coating type, but typically has been set at 20 mg/m2 (de la Fuente et al., 2006). The first layer of three-layer heat shrink sleeve (3LHSS) systems for pipeline FJC, liquid epoxy, falls into this category (ISO_21809-3:2008, 2008). In contrast, the 2LHSS system does not use a liquid epoxy first layer but relies instead on the bonding of a “mastic” layer directly to the pipe metal surface. The maximum acceptable concentration of salt contamination on prepared metal surfaces prior to the application of 2LHSS has been a subject of debate and was the focus of this study. International standards for FJC do not provide a maximum salt level. However, some companies have continued to specify low thresholds for the maximum allowable salt level for 2LHSS, which can result in expensive delays in production during offshore pipe-lay. In this study, salt contamination levels of up to 120 mg/m2 were found to have no effect on peeling performance after accelerated aging by hot water immersion. Furthermore, preparation for welding and the use of potable water during ultrasonic testing procedures prior to FJC, typically reduces the salt contamination level to below 50 mg/m2 providing a strong case for the deletion of salt contamination testing for 2LHSS.

Design/methodology/approach

– The potential risk of failure of the coating due to poor surface cleanliness/contamination was assessed by testing the adhesion between the coating and the steel substrate to which the coating is adhering, following a period of hot water immersion. Compliance with ISO 21809-3 “Annex I” requires 28 days’ immersion at maximum operating temperature. For this study, to create a severe situation, the test rings were subjected to accelerated aging by water immersion at the HSS upper specified temperature of 65°C for more than twice the specified period (ISO_21809-3:2008, 2008). Two HSS were tested; one was widely used in applications where exposure to moderate mechanical stress is required, having a high shear strength type mastic “hybrid” adhesive containing a significant proportion of amorphous polypropylene blended with tackifiers and ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), Andrenacci et al. (2009) referred to as “Type A”. The second, referred to as “Type B”, is widely used in applications where it is covered by a layer of “infill”, typically consisting of polyurethane foam or solid polyurethane elastomer, i.e. typical design methodology for concrete coated pipelines. “Type B” HSS had a more moderate strength traditional type mastic than “Type A” containing a significant percentage of butyl rubber with asphalt, activation agents and tackifying resins. To determine how to apply the salt contamination without causing flash rust, a mini-study was completed on the steel substrate. After numerous trials, it was found impossible to not to form visible rust on the pipe surface. The extent of rusting was minimised by heating the pipe immediately after the application of the salt solution.

Findings

– High levels of sea salt on power tool prepared pipe surfaces were investigated by peel testing of 2LHSS after hot water immersion and compared against peel tests undertaken prior to hot water immersion. The test conditions were considered severe: salt contamination levels of up to 120 mg/m2 applied on power tool cleaned pipe surfaces that had been aged for one year without prior grit blasting. The accelerated ageing procedure had twice the specified (ISO_21809-3:2008, 2008) water immersion duration, and the test samples had exposed edges providing the possibility for moisture to creep under the coating. The test results showed that there were no noticeable deleterious effects on the performance of the two most commonly used FJCs, 2LHSS. Therefore, it was concluded that, as the level of salt contamination on prepared pipe surfaces after wet non-destructive testing typically is much lower than the levels tested in this study, pipe surfaces prepared for the application of 2LHSS type do not require specific additional measures to further reduce salt contamination, provided that care is taken to ensure that these conditions are maintained consistently during pipe laying operations.

Practical implications

– The frequency of salt contamination testing of power tool cleaned surfaces prior to mastic type heat shrink sleeves can be minimised, and perhaps omitted entirely, provided the above criteria are satisfied.

Originality/value

– A literature review revealed there was little published information on the testing of 2LHSS and nothing related to hot water immersion testing. Hence, the results of this investigation have provided useful industrial data regarding the effect of hot water ageing and the influence of surface salt contamination on field joint corrosion prevention capabilities.