Field Trial of Coating Systems for Arctic Pipelines

A pipeline to bring arctic gas to southern markets requires an appropriate coating system able to withstand the rigors of northern construction and operations. A multi-layer system of fusion bond epoxy overcoated with polyethylene was selected for the mainline coating of a construction project in Northern Alberta, Canada to test out proposed arctic construction materials and practices. Coating of the girth weld area is critical to the overall coating performance. A multi-layer liquid coating system and an epoxy primer based hot melt shrink sleeve system were tested and used for coating the welds. Preliminary full-scale application trials at −48C were performed to validate the proposed field application procedures. Results of the trials and field experience will be reported.