Advancements Pipeline SafetyRobin Wright, Rugged Coatings. Camas WA, December 5, 2016.

Could a disruptive new technology determine the future of pipeline safety? The answer is yes, and no. Pipeline safety is a complex problem; there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution. However, a decade of innovative research pioneered a new surface preparation category (surface decontamination) to address a previously overlooked and sizeable portion of problems underlying corrosion-related coating failures of pipelines and refinery tanks: ineffective surface preparation. The technology known as CleanWirx is so unique it is the only one in its category.

WHAT CLEANWIRX ISAa groundbreaking approach to surface preparation proven to optimize coating performance, CleanWirx cleans, passivates and decontaminates metal surfaces and weld sites to allow coatings to bond strongly and seamlessly with substrates. Coatings are continuously at risk from under-coating attack by corrosion reactive sites that exist within metal surfaces. CleanWirx eliminates the elements those corrosion reactive sites, thus virtually obliterating that key vulnerability.

Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) confirms that ‘clean’ metal not treated with CleanWirx retains corrosion generating materials even after conventional surface preparation. CleanWirx removes such microcontaminants, interference materials and corrosion reaction sites. Comparing conventional surface prep ‘cleaned’ metal vs. CleanWirx treated metal via SEM provides clear empirical evidence demonstrating an astonishing improvement in substrate condition attributable to the implementation of the CleanWirx system.

WHAT CLEANWIRX IS NOTCleanWirx is not a film former or inhibitor. Film formers and inhibitors for metal surfaces are inexpensive chemical products that attempt to maintain the visual appearance of "clean” steel by retarding flash rusting through the dilution of some, and the insulation of all, surface contaminants. They create a false positive by temporarily masking the very failure mechanisms that will eventually cause the coating system to fail, which is why many asset owners as well as coating manufacturers are abandoning their use altogether. In addition to leaving zero residue and zero film on metal to interfere with coating adhesion, CleanWirx goes well beyond visual clean to decontaminate and vastly improve the condition of substrates prior to coating.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SURFACE PREPARATION AND COATING PERFORMANCEOver the last decade, regulations have increased standards for the performance and limited the number of types of coating materials that can be used on pipelines. To meet regulations, very high-performing coatings require more complicated application processes and more stringent quality control.

Pipe fabrication mills are increasingly emphasizing more in-depth quality control. Current procedures include more structured, statististics-based protocol so samples are tested more often than randomly with greater emphasis on field inspections. Welds are included in the push for upgraded quality control. Coatings applied on circumferential welds in the field must be ensured to be as equally protective as those applied at the mill.

The area of surface preparation lags behind progress seen in related areas such as fabrication, coating and welding. The frequency with which corrosion is cited as a factor in pipeline and tank coating failures underline the need for operators to review and overhaul their surface preparation procedures. Although decontamination of metal substrates, passivation and removal of interference materials in enhancing coating performance should be obvious, coating disbondment caused by microcontamination in metal substrates continues to occur because such procedures are a not included in current surface preparation procedures.

Coating reliance on adhesion, or bonding, to substrate material is an inherent weakness. This fact may arguably be one of the weakest links in the chain of corrosion control, following ‘human error’. It is a generally accepted fact that the presence of interference materials and corrosion reaction sites in pipe (metal substrate) materials directly affects coating adhesion. When coatings loses adhesion to pipe materials, corrodants enter annular space between the pipe’s surface and disbonded coating. Welded areas prove even more vulnerable to interference materials. Removal of mill scale and other materials directly affects critical puddling and porosity, with repercussions in terms of weld strength and coating adhesion over weld sites.

Improving the depth of surface preparation improves coating adhesion universally. This is particularly true in the case of frequently used pipeline coatings such as FBE. FBE (fusion bond epoxy) and CTE (coal tar enamel), require more stringent surface preparation than other types of coatings. In addition, pipe to pipe welding on-site require field joint coating, including liquid epoxy, in joint weld areas (typically areas that see major coating failures).

FBE coating is regularly chosen for industry use because of its superior performance with respect to soil stress resistance, adhesion, and cathodic protection shielding, although applying FBE requires considerable financial investment in materials and application costs. It has excellent compatibility with cathodic protection and stands-up well against high temperature. However, FBE is quite susceptible to poor performance due to faulty application, one part of which involves surface preparation. Profound surface preparation augments coating longevity and durability in the field to ensure return on costly investment in FBE coatings.

CleanWirx, implemented in surface preparation processes onsite or offsite, promotes strong, seamless adhesion through deep decontamination and eradication of corrosion generating interference materials, Absence of these materials improves adhesion and promotes optimal application results. In addition, implementing

CleanWirx also lowers overall surface preparation costs by eliminating the need to employ time- consuming and labor intensive practices like re-blasting, dehumidification and the use of inhibitors. Moreover, integrating the CleanWirx system into surface preparation procedures

Another option, CTE coating, is chosen due to lower cost and ease of maintenance. Field repair of external coating can be easily facilitated through temporary operations facility built onsite. Like FBE, CTE performance depends mostly on its application. Level of adhesion is especially critical for CTE coatings subjected to soil stress, which can cause coating to wrinkle, crack, disbond and leave exposed steel surfaces. If water penetrates under disbanded coatings, cathodic protection shielding can be a problem.

3LPE coatings (3-layer, low density, polyethylene) call for 50–75 microns of fusion bonded epoxy powder, and an overall total film thickness of 2.3 mm using a low-density polyethylene (PE). Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) has a high rate of moisture vapor transmission, and a higher chance of failure. Adhesion is the major problem of this type of coating. CleanWirx is clearly a good fit with this type of coatings due to its effectiveness in promoting better adhesion and maximizing bonding sites.

New materials coming to the pipeline industry such as hydrophobic coatings that repel water are already used in other markets such as on fabrics, and are expected to be harnessed for future implementation in the oil and gas markets on valves and other exposed items. Because these coatings also rely on the condition of the substrate to optimize performance, high-performance thin coatings require substrates free of interference materials in order to form stronger chemical bonds with substrate material.

COMMON FACTOR IN EXTERNAL PIPELINE CORROSIONCoating performance is an important factor in mitigating corrosion since pipelines are exposed to factors that cannot be reasonably controlled. For example, science has yet to even identify most species of bacteria comprising soil ecosystems. Considering each gram of soil contains an estimated range between 2,000 and 8.3 million species of bacteria, and that moisture content is in constant fluctuation, even quantifying the moisture content and bacterial components on a given day comprising a mere square foot of soil is an impossible task. Both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria and moisture work in various ways to create corrosion reactions ready to attack metal through compromised coatings.

Recognizing the vulnerabilities of coatings to disbondment in such environments, the industry employs cathodic (electric) protection as a secondary means of metal pipeline protection. However, the amount of current used in cathodic protection can easily be overcome if coatings are severely compromised by rapid-form coating holidays, stress fracturing and/or lateral delamination. These insidious types of disbondment often occur rapidly and without warning, thus making predicting, monitoring and responding to vulnerable areas difficult. Under these circumstances (often undetected) external corrosion is able to progress to the point of pipeline failure, especially on older pipes.

EXTERIOR PIPELINE CORROSION IMPACTS PIPELINE SAFETYAn estimated 25-30% of all pipeline failures and near misses are attributable to exterior corrosion; this figure can be misleading and is generally accepted as an understatement. Additionally, corrosion failures caused by microcontaminants in exterior surfaces are often erroneously attributed to materials failure, and therefore not tabulated in the exterior corrosion category.

Materials-related failures, including corrosion of steel reinforced concrete, can significantly impact the loading capacity of concrete protection around pipes, leading to catastrophic material failure and further loss in terms of downtime, loss of production, loss of efficiency, remedial maintenance, product loss, and cleanup.

A textbook incident occurred in December, 2014. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) listed two related factors as the probable causes of the natural gas pipeline rupture in Sissonville, WV. A March 2015 NTSB investigation report listed "[E]xternal corrosion of the pipe wall due to deteriorated coating and ineffective cathodic protection" and "the failure to detect the corrosion because the pipeline was not

inspected or tested after 1988" as the main causes. The 20-inch-diameter, buried pipeline ruptured, violently ejecting 20 feet of pipe which landed 40 feet away. The high-pressure gas ignited immediately.

It took the company's pipeline controller more than 10 minutes to recognize a rupture had occurred even though he received several alerts indicating the pressure in the pipeline had begun to fall. NTSB noted that "the shutdown was only initiated after a controller from another pipeline company reported a possible rupture to the CGTC control center," and more than an hour passed before field personnel could shut off the gas supply to the broken pipe. Columbia Gas Transmission Corporation reported it spent $2.9 million repairing the pipeline with a loss of gas products of around $285,000. It is worth noting that Columbia was in full compliance with all federal and state pipeline safety regulatory requirements for the pipeline.

RISK MITIGATIONPipeline operations such as coating maintenance, valve refurbishments, oil field pump services, instrumentation and electrical contractors, and high pressure cleaning services require insurance products for coverage to mitigate financial risk. Insurance policies include:

Equipment floater policies for oil field equipment Exposure general liability Umbrella insurance coverage Contractors pollution liability insurance Commercial property insurance Environmental package policies Workmen’s compensation insurance Maritime and longshoreman insurance

Adopting CleanWirx as part of an effective surface decontamination process results in less risk of disbondment, thus lessening the risk of premature or unexpected coating related pipeline failures. A record of pipeline operations free of incident or failure lessens exposure to financial risk resulting in a better position for negotiating more favorable insurance costs.

CleanWirx reduces the hazards to which workers and the environment are exposed. CleanWirx treated surfaces pass pre-coating surface inspection the first time with no re-blasting, no inhibitors, no dehumidification required. Non-hazardous, biodegradable components that make up the CleanWirx system replace dangerous chemicals for reduced impact on worker and environmental health. As a considerably greener option for surface preparation, CleanWirx contributes to improved health and safety and mitigates chemical safety-related insurance costs.

GOING BEYOND THE STATUS QUOProtecting assets, health and the environment is arguably the number one priority in the energy industry. As an overwhelming number of studies confirm that pipelines are a safer and more efficient means of transport compared to transport by rail, maritime and tanker truck, eliminating pipelines from the picture is not the answer to improved safety in energy product transport. Moreover, the industry as a whole has committed to continued improvement in pipeline safety, including testing and implementation of up-and- coming methods and technologies.

Revisiting the role of surface preparation in enhancing pipeline safety will result in more effective ways to address materials and coatings vulnerabilities to corrosion related failures. Openness to new technologies and R&D investment in surface preparation materials and techniques, along with outreach to and buy-in from pipeline builders and operators will help ensure advanced methods and technologies are routinely vetted and implemented in improvement strategies.

Although stakeholders may initially prefer remaining in the ‘status quo comfort zone’, they understand the stakes and potential impacts of remaining decades behind in the implementation of anti-corrosion technology. As in any industry, early adopters often benefit by being able to leverage new technologies’ ability to create dramatic cost savings, positive branding and associated opportunities to increase market share. In doing so, they help new technologies get a foothold in markets by demonstrating and expanding the scope of applications for new technologies. Such openness to implementation and investment is commendable and points to a spirit of common-sense best practices that will benefits society at large for decades to come.

Learn more. www.ruggedcoatings.com / 360-216=0136. infor@ruggedcoatings.com