Seal for Life Times Spring

Albania US$2; Australia A$6.50 (inc GST); Bulgaria BGL5.90; Canada C$4.95 (Toronto C$4.75); Croatia KN24; Cyprus E3.00 C£1.76; Czech Rep. CK91; Denmark DK28; Estonia K30: Gibraltar G£0,80; Hungary F650; Kenya KSH185;
Latvia LVL 2.75; Malta E2.70; Morocco D25; Norway NK35; Poland Zl12.00; Romania E3.40; Russia US$2.75; Slovakia E3.00/Sk90.38; Sweden SK35; Switzerland SF6.20; Thailand B190; Turkey YTL 5.00; Ukraine US$3.50; USA US$3.75
Experience center
The Alaska Pipeline
Still coated by Covalence
07
Soon available in 3D
17
Quarterly edition
Spring 2014
!
E
R
A
C
O
DARE T
sealforlife
The meaning behind
Download the
Seal For Life app
Dare to Care and Total Care
Let’s Seal for Life
Now featuring:
Dare to Care Convention Movie
Youtube.com/sealforlifecom
GREAT EVENTS
Nace
10-14 March 2014, San Antonio, USA
Pipeline Opportunities Conference
March 25, 2014, Houston TX, USA
District Heating
7 April, Cologne, Germany
Asset Integrity Conference
14 April, Muscat, Oman
Tankforum Dubai
14 April, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Extreme: Gulf of Mexico
Napca, Pipeline Coaters Conference
April 23-26, 2014, Florida, USA
Non-sense of non-shielding coatings
This is also the world of Seal For Life. The skutsje, a more than 100 years old barge, is a populair
historic boat type in the Netherlands. Every year they compete in a national race-week with
tens of thousands of spectators. Good conservation of these ships can only be achieved with
high quality solutions. This barge (right) has been sealed with fluid STOPAQ anti-corrosion
material to seal the deepest pores and crevices. Sealed for her maritime life indeed!
En+Eff Messe
May 6-8, 2014, Köln, Germany
9th Pipeline Technology Conference
2014
May 12-14, 2014, Estrel Berlin, Germany
Pipetech World Summit
June 16, Rome, Italy
SFL INDUSTRIES
SFL INDUSTRIES
SFL INDUSTRIES
marine
subsea
aerospace
6th Journées
Protection Cathodique
SFL INDUSTRIES
SFL INDUSTRIES
June 24-26, 2014, Juan les Pins, France
fast
pipelines
ASCE Pipelines 2014 Conference
August 3-6, 2014, Portland OR, USA
Continued on page 2
Seal For Life, the original slogan
of Stopaq, has now become the
name of our company. And not
without good reason. It’s not just
a slogan, but a statement we are
making to the market: thanks to
its ‘literally smart cross-bonds’,
Seal For Life Industries is able to
offer new, sustainable solutions
within the oil, gas and water
– i.e. pipeline – markets. Our
constant pursuit of quality and
way of thinking enable us to give
guarantees that others simply
cannot fulfill.
joint market through a broader, yet
at the same time deeper, focus on
civil infrastructural challenges. Our
views on markets and applications
demand not only knowledge but also
courage. That’s because introducing
new methodologies and ways of
thinking into traditional markets is a
brave thing to do. But we have already
noticed both within and outside Seal
For Life, that our vision is leading
to success: ‘Dare to Care’ is not only
a slogan, but also a clear statement
to our stakeholders, clients and
application engineers.
Our synergies also enables us to take
advantage of our leadership position
in niche markets. For instance, we
can successfully tackle the cable
As Seal For Life, we are the ‘lifeguards’
of (often) vulnerable systems, not
just on land but also offshore. An
increasing number of clients no
SEALANT SOLUTIONS
SEALTAQ 2100
SFL INDUSTRIES
SFL INDUSTRIES
SFL INDUSTRIES
longer accept short-term solutions,
pipe plant coating
and plant coating
rise in water
levels, worldwide.
This
but instead are convinced by construction
our
in general.home
By means
of exclusive
just somethingflooring
for the
pro
cf services is no longer
energy
vision and can see our growth and
partnership services, we can boost
future; our Stopaq member is already
expansion into other market areas.
sales concepts for a whole range
carrying out applications involved
What’s more, through our global
of specific applications and uses,
with raising dyke walls in relation to
dedicated market management for
such as casings, j-tubes, subsea
these changing circumstances in the
offshore, we can also take a leading
structures, surface preparation, preNetherlands. If there were no levees,
SFL INDUSTRIES
SFL INDUSTRIES
SFL INDUSTRIES
SFL INDUSTRIES
position in the field of pre-insulated
engineering, factory-applied pipeline
45% of this
particular country
would
cable & wires
automotive
coating concepts,
storage problems,
disappearwaste
underwater
water.
cathodic protection
home do-it-yourself
treatment
application
training,
corrosion
monitoring and after-sale service.
In short, ‘Dare to Care’ is no longer
limited to below-ground pipeline and
Changes on our planet also offer new
traditional markets, but means ‘Total
opportunities to put the innovative
Care’ for Seal For Life nowadays. Seal
strength of Seal For Life into practice.
For Life’s playing field has become not
For instance, pipeline and ‘bedding
only very broad, but also specialised.
solutions’ in unstable infrastuctures,
This demands a lifelong learning
our solutions for applications in polar
process – continuing education – from
regions and the solutions that we as
engineers and application teams, but
a group can offer in relation to the
also from ourselves.
2
Spring 2014
3
Spring 2014
The future proof organization New markets are waiting
with staying power
P E R M A N E N T LY
WATER
LEAKS
P E R M A N E N T LY
STOP
c100 m0 y30 k20
c0 m75 y100 k0
c55 m55 y0 k0
STOP
GETS
YOU
BACK
IN ACTION
Gutter
Rubber boots
Garden hose
Window
Broken glass panel
Chimney
Roof
Cable connection
Metal plates
HVac-seal
FAST
EASY AND
SAFE
The trunk as transporter. Within
B
TO APPLY – NO HAZARDOUS
CONTENTS
WATER
LEAKS
tr y
do th
The most important aspect of the
organizational model is to see
‘people focus’ in your organization
as a Christmas tree:
c
ly
for on
WATER
LEAKS
EASY
WATER
LEAKS
P E R M A N E N T LY
Aluminium
backing
P E R M A N E N T LY
EASY AND SAFE
GUTTER RUBBER
Developed by engineers from
Holland, a country with
centuries of experience in
PAINTED
holding backCAN
water.BE
Blockr®
gets you back into action fast.
SWIMMINGPOOL WINDOW
BROKEN GLASS PANEL
CHIMNEY ROOF
CABLE CONNECTION
BACKING
HVAC-SEAL
CAN BE PAINTED
CAN BE APPLIED
TO ALMOST ANY
SERFACE
EC
sales & customer service. The
‘moment of truth’ for the sales
orga­
ni­
sa­
tion. Can we turn our
abilities and beliefs into reality?
D
a
Be conscious
The three main pillars of knowledge are education, research and innovation. But
are these pillars sufficient to turn an idea into a successful reality and translate
benefits to society? The answer seems to be no. It does not matter how large or
how many support mechanisms are visible as ‘trees’ (society), they will not work
if the “roots” (education) are not adequately nurtured to prompt the knowledge
flow capillaries.
Pumping knowledge from roots to the trees, from
human capital to society, is the simple and risky
work called entrepreneurship. The term has
been used in multiple and diverse ways, but few
really know how to define it to generate high and
sustainable growth. Entrepreneurship is not just
about receiving money for new business (trees);
it also needs spirit and talent (roots) to flow
accordingly. It is not only science but art as well.
It is an art, or spirit, that emerges thanks to the
inspiration, creativity and added value that
motivates indi­viduals to generate unique attitudes
and behaviors. It presumes an inner cultural
challenge that presently differentiates entre­
preneurs with what we term ‘disruptive’ initiatives.
-PE
SM
TP
eal
-E
JS
al R
e
alS
Du
GREAT EVENTS
Continued from page 1
NACE Central Area Conference
August 25-27, 2014, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
Dare to Care Event – SFL Industries
12-15 October, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Iploca
15-17 October, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Corrosion Prevention
2-6 November, Seoul, South Korea
Latincorr
28-31 October 2014, Medellin, Columbia
BHR Aberdeen
3-6 November, Aberdeen, Scotland
Source: Mahr Avila, EU Advisor
ADIPEC – the Abu Dhabi
International Petroleum Exhibition
and Conference
10 – 13 November, Abu Dhabi, UA
SURFACE
IS UV-RESISTANT:
ON ROOFS
ONCE
APPLIED
SEALS
FOREVER
Green
uvresistance
backing
Black
uvresistance
backing
Us e ins t ruc t ions
Bloc kr ® s e a la nt
STICKS
IMMEDIATELY
CAN BE PAINTED
OVER AFTER
APPLIED
CAN BE APPLIED
TO ALMOST ANY
SURFACE
The do-it-yourself
solution
to sealISand
EASY
AND SAFE
UV-RESISTANT
TO APPLY
protect
anything CAN BE USED
NO HAZARDOUS
ON ROOFS
inMATERIALS
or around
your house!
Seal For Life Industries is a total solution provider
for jointing and sealing techniques in district heating. The product range includes joint casings & sealing heat shrinksleeves, foaming hole closures, end
caps and sealants. Additional equipment like torches,
scrapers, heating shields, etc. are part of the Seal For
Life District Heating product assortment. Millions
of pre-insulated pipe for district heating and cooling
joints have been sealed with Seal For Life’s Covalence
products. Seal For Life District Heating is your expert
in sealing applications and is therefore very proud to
introduce the new sub-brands of Covalence.
Wrap-around Tubular Covalence Solutions
Dual Adhesive Covalence Solutions
facts instead of expectations
Soon
available,
PolyGuru
is
an independent service of SFL
Industries specialized in service
analysis of polymers, composites and
coatings. Since the establishment
of PolyGuru, SFL has successfully
worked on international challenging
and revolutionary projects with
well-established
companies
and
universities. Our markets include
windenergy, aerospace, infrastructure,
and
membrane
development.
In many real-life circumstances,
mechanical and chemical exposure
triggers several chemical-mechanical
effects that influence material service
life when protecting metal surface
or as a substitute for metal, to a
significant extent. Polyguru enables
you to virtually test these combined
mechanical and chemical effects on
an any material in any configuration
and application. So you can obtain
quantitative insight in lifetime and
eventual failure modes. Polyguru also
supports with design of laboratory
experiments and interpretation
of manufacturer’s chemical
resistance guides.
Use PolyGuru for critical
service life issues such
as
stress
corrosion,
mechanically, chemically
and thermally driven
stress,
interfacial
fracture,
blister
information
and
H2S. Contact us for further
applications.
CAN BE APPLIED
TO ALMOST ANY
SURFACE
EASY AND SAFE IS UV-RESISTANT
TO APPLY
CAN BE USED
NO HAZARDOUS
ON ROOFS
MATERIALS
CAN BE USED
YET FLEXIBLE
Pol guru
CAN BE PAINTED
OVER AFTER
APPLIED
EASY AND SAFE IS UV-RESISTANT
CAN BE USED
ON ROOFS
MATERIALS
EasySeal
DualSeal
AMI Field Joint Coating 2014
September 2-4, 2014, Radisson Blu
Scandinavia Hotel Düsseldorf, Germany
International Pipeline Exposition
2014
September 30- October 2, 2014, Calgary,
Alberta, Canada
SURFACE
yS
Eas
ACA Corrosion & Prevention
September 21-24, 2014, Darwin, Australia,
The key to creating a successful com­bi­nation of
art and science, and therefore delivering tangible
benefits to society, may depend firstly on building
the individual and contextual conditions that
permit entrepreneurs to launch in­
no­
vative
projects (a new fish for example), not only by
detecting the right idea (flying fish) within a huge
and rapid competitive world (oceans and currents)
but by managing the right moment (early in the
morning), at the right place (Barbados), with the
right resources (a fish caught while flying, using
nets from outrigger canoes).
If entrepreneurs detect good disruptive ideas but
aren’t conscious of their potential, innovation will
not be fruitful.
With big names we must really
care for: GasUnie, Fluxys,
Pemex, Petrobras, Gazprom,
Eni, Chevron, Saudi Aramco,
Petrochina, Statoil, QP, ADNOC,
GNPOC, Sasol, Lukoil, Exxon
and BP.
CAN BE APPLIED
ALMOST
TO ALMOST ANY ANY
Two new specific soil stress
resistant solutions for
pre-insulated pipelines
e
syS
Ea
b
IS A PERMANENT
Us e ins t ruc t ions
Bloc kr ® s e a la nt
CAN BE APPLIED TO
Introducing EasySeal and
DualSeal by Covalence
PE
M-
EThe star: these are our clients.
EASY AND SAFE
CAN BE PAINTED CAN BE APPLIED
OVER AFTER
TO ALMOST ANY
APPLIED SEALING
SURFACE
SOLUTION
Contains 4 samples with different
backings for different applications
and surfaces:
• Aluminium backing
• Cloth backing
• Green uv-resistance backing
• Black uv-resistance backing
PS
al W
CAN BE PAINTED
OVER AFTER
APPLIED
GUARANTEE
APPLIED
$5
ECO FRIENDLY
/IP
YEAR
FAST
EASY AND SAFE
IS UV-RESISTANT
Aluminium
Cloth
TO APPLY
USED
backingCAN BEbacking
NO HAZARDOUS
ON ROOFS
MATERIALS
The do-it-yourself
solution to seal and
protect anything in or
around your house!
C
HE
BACK
IN ACTION
Us e ins
tructions
OVER
AFTER
® s ealant
Blockr
for on
The top part of the triangle:
D
ALMOST ANY
30
YOU
CAN BE
PAINTED
Aluminium
backing
t ho
sa m
EASY AND SAFE
WEATHER
MATERIALS
The do-it-yourself
solution to seal and
protect anything in or
around your house!
SEALS WATER
LEAKS
LEAKS
TO APPLY
TO APPLY – NO HAZARDOUS
NO HAZARDOUS
CAN BE APPLIED
TO ALMOST ANY
SERFACE
ALUMINIUM
METAL PLATES
CAN BE APPLIED IN
Us e ins tructions
Blockr ® s ealant
GETS
SEALS WATER
LEAKS
SEALS
WATER
TO USE
e
e
om
$5.-
DO TRY THIS
AT HOME!
d
is at h
STOP
this, the ‘people
focus’ that makes
IS UV-RESISTANT:
CAN
BE USED
the appliers
happy
is central. It
ON ROOFS
CAN BE
ensures both
personal growth
ONCE
PAINTED
and development, all through the
OVER AFTER APPLIED
‘one fa­mi­ly’ mentality. Here you
APPLIED
will also find the ambassadors
STICKS
IS A PERMANENT
P E R M A N E N T LY
(distributors
and appliers)
who
IMMEDIATELY
YET FLEXIBLE
SEALING SOLUTION SEALS
are the messengers.
GUTTER RUBBER
SWIMMINGPOOL WINDOW
FOREVER
BROKEN GLASS PANEL
The
Aluminium Cloth
Green
Black lower part of the triangle:
C
CHIMNEY ROOF
backing
backing
uvuvtape
tape
resistance engineering
resistance
& services.CABLE
This CONNECTION
backing
backing
tape
istape where the innovations
METAL PLATES
and ideas come from; it’s
the
HVAC-SEAL
Hans Brinker, a Dutch boy
plugged the
leak with his finger
world­
wide
support
center.
and stayed there through the
freezing cold night until help
It’s an important
shoot
of the
arrived the next morning.
Through
his heroic efforts, the boy saved
the Netherlands
from flooding.
tree where
you can
also find
aspects such as PQT training,
certificates, partnerships (such
as with Falck). But beware: it’s
not headquartes. Thinking in
terms of ‘headquarters’ is so
old-school!
MATERIALS
ALUMINIUM
STOP
BACKING
DO TRY THIS
AT HOME!
e
STOP
ly
TO USE
(soil) and CAN
the core
essence
BE APPLIED
IN of Seal
SEALS
ALMOST
ANY
For
Life
Industries.
It’s
the
fertile
EVERY
ground that
gives the sy­
ner­
WEATHER
THING
gy its po­wer, based on our SFL
mission, vision, belief, attitude
30
and approach.
It’s
our combined
CAN BE
APPLIED
TO
YEAR
ALMOST
ANY
quality that
must be safeguarded
GUARANTEE
SURFACE
and constantly
fed.
Introducing Blockr ® , Seal for Life Industries newest
revolutionary product for the home solutions market.
Blockr ® stops water leaks permanently.
try thi
EASY
People focus is the core of staying
power: people must want to work
in a motivated way, they must
understand and be enthusiastic
about why they are doing something
for the organization.
a.The basis, the seed-bed: true,
important core values for staff:
what do we stand for?
b.The trunk: aim for 100% ‘people
focus’ and therefore dedicated
staff and satisfied clients
c.the lower part of the triangle:
the support organization/
engineers, who always offer
support and service
d.the top of the triangle: – the
‘moment of truth’ – it’s here
that the product or service is
delivered
e.the star: – that’s what we all do
it for – 100% satisfied clients.
They are the stars!
Introducing Blockr ® , ‘Seal for Life Industries’ newest
rich earth
as the
basis. This
AA.
revolutionary product
forThe
the home
solutions
market.
Blockr ® stops water leaks
is permanently.
the seed-bed, the nutrient
Discovered by engineers from Holland, a country with centuries of experience in holding back water.
Blockr ® gets you back into action fast.
0 000000 000000
c0 m100 y87 k0
c20 m100 y50 k0
c85 m45 y0 k0
c0 m0 y0 k100
I n d u s t r i e s
WATER
LEAKS
An organization must
be ready for the future.
And a successful future
can only be guaranteed
if
that
organization
has staying power. The
following organizational
model is heartwarmingly
simple
and
therefore
very clear: its metaphor
is the Christmas tree.
Staying power is essential
to create a healthy, green
Christmas tree.
0 000000 000000
Online shop for DIY markets
4
Spring 2014
Doing more with less
Research continues on exactly
what happens when two objects
stick toge­
ther. There is no
universally accepted theory and
given the variety of adhesives that
exist it is likely that more than
one process may be at work. It is
generally agreed that adhesion
occurs at a molecular level with
the primary processes involving
Van der Waals forces, iconic
bonding, covalent bond­ing, and/
or metallic bonding. Because the
latter three processes result from
chemical bonding, we will focus
our discussion on Van der Waals
forces.
Van der Waals forces come into play
when molecules are polarized -- that
is, they have a positive end and a
negative end. Because the hydrogen
atoms are skewed to one side, one end
of the molecule has a weakly positive
charge and the other has a weakly
negative charge. Since opposites
attract, the positive side of one water
molecule will be attracted to the
negative side of a neighboring one.
That’s the Van der Waals force.
For Van der Waals forces to work,
there must be close contact between
the two surfaces being joined--a
separation of only a few angstroms.
(An angstrom is one ten-billionth of
a meter.) At that range the Van der
Waals and other molecular forces
interact strongly and the adhesive
and the glued surfaces bond together.
To ensure close contact, the adhesive
must have the ability to wet the
surfaces of the parts properly - it must
spread and flow such that it maintains
the maximum contact area possible,
and it should spread thinly to avoid
being subject to cohesive failures.
According to recent research,
Van der Waals forces explain how
the lizards known as geckos can
stick to so many surfaces in a seemingly
impossible man­ner. Specifically, the
tiny hairs on the gecko’s feet (called
setae) are split at the microscopic
level into “as many as 1,000
branches, whose spatula-shaped
tips are only 200 nanometers wide.”
As a result, even though the Van der
Waals forces acting on an individual
tip are small, the adhesion of a billion
or so tips adds up to enough force to
let the gecko stick to anything.
Persuasive as all this sounds, other
scientists doubt that Van der Waals
forces alone fully explain how adhesion
works. They attribute at least some of
the strength of adhesives to the process
of me­chanical bonding, also known
as mechanical locking. The idea here
is that all sur­
faces, even seeming­
ly smooth ones, are actually rough
at the molecular level, and that
an adhesive achieves some of its
strength by flowing into the hid­den valleys and imperfections of the
surfaces to be bonded.
What is more?
Develop, manu­facture and sell
more m2 of visco-elastic tape,
shrinkable products and more
kilometers of polymeric anodes.
What is less?
Energy-efficiency
Resulting in:
less manpower,
less skilled crews, less grit, less time,
less preheating, less layers,
less testing on site,
less commissioning costs,
less scaffolding costs,
less mobilization costs,
less waste onsite,
less precautions,
less personal protective gear,
less defects to repair.
5
Spring 2014
When the adhesive hardens, the
two parts are mechanically llocked
together.
RE!
A
C
O
T
E
DAR
In mechanical bonding, as with
Van der Waals forces, an adhesive
needs to be able to spread finely
into the microscopic roughness
of the surfaces, wet the tiny
cracks properly, and allow
trapped air to escape. The
main difference is that
mechanical bonding
will work at distances
that would render
Van der Waals forces
useless. There are several
other theories of adhesion
that ought to be mentioned
briefly. The electrostatic
theory arose in part from
the observation that some
adhesives generate static
sparks when pulled apart,
while other items will cling
together when placed next to
each other, especially in the case
of plastics. The theory proposes
that as the joint forms, electrostatic
charges develop between the two
joined surfaces and between the
surfaces and the adhesive, and these
electrical forces help hold the joint
together. But electrostatic forces are
believed to be only a supplemental
source of joint strength, not the
primary one.
References:
Petrie, E.M., Handbook of Adhesives and
Sealants, 2000
Kunzig, Robert, “Why Does It Stick?
- the hypothesis that push-on adhesives use
bubbles to create vacuum,”
Discover, July 1999.
Colombia dares to compare against FBE
Coating 100% solid method
Sandblasting
FBE coating
Primer
Epoxy coat (16 mills)
Alternatives’ results
Radial Diagram
Alternative 1: Coating 84%
solids, sandblasting, primer,
barrier, ended - (SIKA)
TIME
fusion bonded epoxy
copolímero adhesivo
PURCHASE
MATERIAL COST
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATION
job
done!
Alternative 2: Coating with
Three layer
polietileno de alta densidad
Alternative 3: Coating with FBE one
layer
COST OF
MANPOWER
ENVIRONMENTAL
RISK
STOPAQ method
COMPLEXITY OF
INSTALLATION
fusion bonded epoxy
In Columbia a comparative
coating analysis for pipelines has
been made to compare cost for
various methods of protecting
pipelines from corrosion.
The following methods were
compared:
•The Coating 100% Solid method.
Pipes are being sandblasted and
provided with a primer. Finally, an
epoxy coat is applied;
•The Fusion Bonded Epoxy (FBE)
method. A liquid FBE film flows
onto the steel surface and soon
becomes a solid coating by
chemical cross-linking, assisted by
heat. This can be done with one or
three layers;
• The STOPAQ method. The
patented visco-elastic product is
applied. Manually, or by machine.
Analyzed items for the whole
project are:
•Purchase cost per linear meter,
the direct cost to purchase project
materials;
•Man cost per linear meter;
•Time. The days to execute the
total project;
• Maintenance cost, the direct cost
MAINTENANCE
COST
Source: HNA Engineering
to coating maintenance for gas
pipeline;
•Complexity of installation;
•Technical specifications.
Many technical specifications
have been studied:
•Adhesion to metal and other;
•Experiences worldwide;
•Nominal thickness per layer
(Mills);
• Specific electrical resistance
(Ω - m2);
•Temperature of operation (C°);
•Elongation (%);
•Cathodic Disbondment 28 Days,
“no looking
back”
1.5 volt, 3% NaCl 95 C°, mmr;
• Recovery or Self healing of coating
per mechanical detachment.
The outcome of the comparison
shows that a low investment in
Alternative 4: Coating with
visco-elastic fluid with ­machine.
Tipe (FAST) CZH
Alternative 5: Coating with
visco-elastic fluid with ­machine.
Tipe (FAST) CZH
material (100% Solid method)
provides high cost in manpower
and maintenance. Using the FBE
method will rise up investment cost
when there are still high cost for
maintenance and manpower.
Using the STOPAQ solution will
generate cost which can be compared
with the FBE method. However, cost
for manpower and maintenance will
be considerably less.
Looking at environmental
risks, complexity and technical
specifications the STOPAQ solution
seems to be the best solution by far.
Patented Underwater
Anti-Corrosion Technology
Applications:
• Splashzone Jetty Pile Protection
• Subsea Pipeline Repair
• Offshore Jacket Leg Protection
Features & benefits:
• Adheres under water & offers extremely high
specific electric resistance
• Training in cooperation with Falck Nutec at
Seal For Life’s Technology Centre
• Quick & easy to apply by trained divers and
approved application companies
6
Spring 2014
7
Spring 2014
Since 1974, the Alaska
pipeline coated by Covalence
E!
R
A
C
O
T
DARE
(formerly known as Raychem)
protection
When our beloved alligator has a prey clamped its jaws, he never let’s go. His scales protect
him from harsh attacks from all sides. The properties of this powerful beast are similar to
the concepts of corrosion protection of Seal For Life’s Covalence Shrinkable Systems. The
innovative shrink technology of Covalence protects critical infrastructural objects without
losing elasticity. Covalence is one of our most powerful and proven technologies. Whether
in combination with the visco-elastic corrosion prevention materials, hot-melt and mastic
adhesives, total care shrink technology is the way to Seal For Life tight. It’s about making
the surface preparation and the applicators’ job easy. Covalence – the first and still the best
at heat shrink technology.
420 miles of the 800 mile Trans
Alaska Pipeline are above ground.
The year was 1974 and Alyeska had an incredibly
large problem on their hands. Their pipeline
had been delayed for years as politicians argued
about environmental impact studies, labor
disputes and land ownership questions (and
probably argued about what was in it for their
constituents). At that time, Fusion Bonded Epoxy
(FBE) was a somewhat ‘new on the scene’ pipe
coating and manufacturers and applicators were
both learning their way through some kinks.
It was also decided early in the process
that the best solution was going to be
a heat shrinkable, spirally wrapped
tape product. Raychem had never
manufactured a tape product before!
So the team (led by one of the great
corporate leaders of all time, Paul
Cook) got to work conquering this
mountain. The product which was
eventually used was called Arcticlad
(and was similar to another product
called Rayclad that continues to be
used today!).
As one team was working on
developing and perfecting the
Arcticlad, another team was busy
engineering the machines that would
clean the pipe; preheat the pipe; wrap
the Arcticlad and then shrink the
Arcticlad. Quite a tall order. Starting
at the beginning, machinery was
built that encapsulated the pipe and
had numerous wire brushes working
to knock any lose or disbonded FBE
from the pipe.
In any case, the FBE coated pipe that had been
patiently waiting in pipe yards scattered around
Alaska had, unfortunately, not been coated with
an FBE designed to withstand several years of UV
exposure. Imagine that for a second; 380 miles
of 48” OD pipe sitting in a pipe yard...and the
factory applied coating is experiencing massive
failures due to UV degradation. I have to believe
this resulted in many sleepless night for those
responsible for the integrity of that pipeline.
The four silver objects between the
two side booms are the heaters.
heaters (sometimes as many as 8 or 10
used at a time) were designed for just
this purpose.
Finally, the Arcticlad would be spiral
wrapped using a specially engineered
tape wrapping machine. The heat of
the pipe (from the machines above)
was sufficient to to create adhesive
flow and put the Arcticlad backing
into a state of crystalline melt; which
The Dalton Highway which runs
(at times) parallel to the pipeline.
Now let’s look at this same problem
from another perspective; that of
the somewhat fledgling technology
company; Raychem Corp.
The
year was 1974 and Raychem had an
incredibly large opportunity on their
hands. Scattered across Alaska were
380 miles of 48” OD pipe, coated
with failing FBE.If Raychem could
engineer a solution for this incredibly
difficult problem, Raychem would
cement their place at the top of the
heat shrinkable pipeline coatings
world and leave their mark on one
of the greatest pipeline projects of all
time.
backing that did not yet exist; using
an adhesive that did not yet exist;
installed with equipment that did not
yet exist and having this all completed
within a time frame that did not
dramatically compromise the timing
of the project. Raychem’s response:
“No problem.”
Raychem had already been established
as a leader in heat shrinkable
technology and specialty adhesives.
They didn’t have the perfect products
already created, but they did have a
solid base of proven technologies to
work from. It was determined early
in the process that the timeline for this
So, the problem as it stood was
re-coating 380 miles of 48” pipe;
in the field; faced with sub-zero
temperatures; installed on top of
a failing coating; using a product
project needed to be 6 months or less
(keep in mind, that was 6 months to
production so it would have to include
training the different pipeline crews
and qualifying the product).
As an added bonus, the new
technologies Raychem had created
to solve this problem were able
to be transitioned into entirely
A close up of the wrapping
machine, and the Arcticlad
pay off
The machine at the far right of the picture
is the specially designed pipe cleaner.
The next step in the process was the
preheating station. In order for the
Arcticlad to properly bond to both
the bare steel (where the FBE had
disbonded) and to the still bonded
FBE, the bond line temperature
needed to be ~225 Fahrenheit. Quite a
challenge to raise the temperature of a
A beautiful partnership is born in 1974.
able expand their business into the
oil and gas pipeline market with what
turned out to be a $23 million dollar
project (which would be more than
$100 million in 2013 dollars!). Thirty
eight years later this pipeline is STILL
in service!
resulted in the adhesive filling, flowing
and forming a homogenous layer
which acted as a sealant and offered
some physical protection for the pipe.
In the end, the project was successfully
completed. The six month time frame
was kept. Alyeska was able to salvage
“I don’t think it’s a secret to anyone that
the trans-Alaska pipeline, the terminal
at Valdez, is a critical asset not only to
the state but the country. It’s stating the
obvious - that this pipeline plays a critical
role in this nation’s economy.”
new (and leading) product lines.
Modern products (currently under
the Covalence Seal for Life heading)
including
ambient
temperature
wrap around shrink sleeves; factory
applied line coatings; closures; road
bore sleeves; high temp wrap around
sleeves and others can all trace their
ancestry right back to the mid 1970’s.
One man’s problem is another man’s
opportunity. Isn’t that a beautiful
thing?
Source: http://blogheatshrinksleeves.
com/2013/05/the-great-transalaska-pipeline-case.html
Eric Gonzales
48” pipe from below zero; up to 225 in
a reasonable amount of time. Custom
and still use their pipe in spite of the
damaged coating; and Raychem was
A picture of the finished
product. Well done, Raychem!
8
Spring 2014
SFL Industries is a strong contributing
team player in the Energy Valley TopClub
Even at -69 degrees Celsius it can’t be broken
A band that seals a pipeline?
Thanks to Oppanol® – the
polyisobutylene (PIB) made by
manufacturer BASF – this is not
just a utopian dream but has been
proven in practice. Over recent
years, STOPAQ has developed
a band that uses Oppanol as its
principal constituent.
This Oppanol constituent is a PIB,
which is to say an organic compound
composed of 
carbon atoms with
excellent sealing properties. The
band complies with all international
requirements and has also been ISO
9001, kosher and halal certified.
STOPAQ is used to protect pipelines
against corrosion and hairline
fractures. The surface of the pipe is
made fully impermeable to outside
influences and is thus fully protected.
Oppanol means that pipes can
operate entirely independently of
climatological conditions; whether
the pipe is located in the desert or in
polar regions, it remains protected.
Moreover, Oppanol is non-toxic and
does not constitute any danger to the
environment or to people working
with it. This contrasts with the
current method of insulating pipes
using other polymers. Traditional
competitive
2-components
and
solvent based solution have the
added disadvantage that the solvents
incorporated in the resin are released
under extreme conditions, such
as in the desert. Protective tents
have to be erected in order to work
with traditional polymers under
such circumstances. These are all
disadvantages that do not arise when
working with SFL’s solutions based
on Oppanol. For instance, SFL’s
STOPAQ has powerful properties. It
bonds well even on rough surfaces.
Should a damage unexpectedly
appear in the coating, STOPAQ’s
wrappingband with an outerwrap
tape or shrink sleeve, then exerts
selfhealing properties to seal the
damage automatically. Also at -45
degrees Celsius, although it takes 3
months.
There is also a tight bond in the
working relationship between SFL’s
technology centre Stadskanaal and
the manufacturer BASF. SFL has
global patents and BASF supports
SFL by raising awareness of the
product, including among its own
customer base. Moreover, BASF
itself also employs SFL’s STOPAQ
systems. Both companies see this
healthy partnership as an integral
part of their success. In addition,
the customer is at the forefront:
“Do it once, do it right.” Moreover,
its product development based
on mutual agreement continues.
SFL’s proven creativity, through the
deployment of Oppanol to achieve
innovative Seal For Life goals, will be
of foremost importance in this.
Development of the table began
with Shell. The oil company needed
a means of combatting corrosion on
pipelines. STOPAQ began seeking out
appropriate materials and in so doing
came across Oppanol.
STOPAQ now enjoys a global customer
base, especially in the Near East and
Middle East. That is no surprise given
the huge number of pipelines close
to the oil fields. STOPAQ is Saudi
Arabia’s exclusive supplier of anticorrosion agents for all pipelines
running underwater, which is more
than half of all the pipelines in the
whole of Saudi Arabia.
STOPAQ intends expanding its
activities into Russia in the near future.
Moreover, its product development
continues apace. STOPAQ’s proven
creativity, through the deployment of
Oppanol to achieve innovative goals,
will be of foremost importance in this.
Oppanol® – Approvals & Certifications
Oppanol® fulfils the following FDA Food Contact Applications regulations:
21 CFR 172.615
Chewing gum
21 CFR 175.105
Adhesives
21 CFR 175.125
Pressure sensitive adhesives
21 CFR 175.300
Resinous and polymeric coatings
21 CFR 176.180
Components of paper and paperboard in contact with dry food
21 CFR 177.1420Polyisobutylene polymers (Oppanol® B100 and products with a higher molar mass)
21 CFR 178.3570
Lubricants with incidental food contact
21 CFR 175.105Surface lubricants used in the manufacture of metallic articles
Oppanol® fulfils the following EU regulations:
Directive 2002/72/EC and amendments in Annex 2 (Monomers and other starting materials)
Regulation (EC) No. 1935/2004, Article 3
Italy:
Decreto Ministeriale No. 91 (6.2.1997)
The Netherlands:
Verpakking- en gebruiksartikelen besluit, Ed. 21.8.1991
France:
Arrêté vom 14.9.1992, Matériaux au contact des aliments Brochure Ed. 1994
Spain:
Ministerio de Saidad y Consumo (4.11.19982), Real Decreto 211/1992 (24.3.1994
Certificates
ISO 9001 / Kosher / Halal
100% COATING INTEGRITY
egion
Power Plant
9
Spring 2014
Eemshaven
Biogas Power Plant
SINCE 1998 AT PDO OMAN
By Rajdeep Dutta
It all began with the discovery of
oil underground in the Northern
Netherlands, the region where
SFL’s Technology centre is
located. Actually, right between
the biggest western European
gas and oil field. This discovery of
oil was followed in the 1960s by
the discovery of a huge gas field
at 20 kilometres distance from
Stadskanaal, where SFL develops
new technologies to support the
oil and gas industry.
the spotlight. For example, the
Gasterra Flames basketball players
are also being sponsored alongside the
Nic/Alfa college korfball club and the
Abiant/Lycurgus volleyball club.
However, the most famous name
has to be the professional football
club FC Groningen for which Energy
Valley Topclub has become a key
sponsor. FC 
Groningen plays in
Dutch professional football’s highest
division – the Eredivisie – and has
the rapidly expanding port a celebrated history. The club plays
Delfzijl addition,
and Eemshaven
Kollo Sic - 11MWe
(www.kollosic.nl)
of Eemshaven
is literally an open and each year for its place in European
- 1.220
MWe gateway to the world.
Half a century later, and theAdvanced
gas andPower
highly
accessible
football and in the past has even
Delesto - 570 MWe (www.akzonobel.nl)
oil industry has now built on
those
knocked out the legendary Atlético
Eemscentrale - 2.400 MWe (www.electrabel.nl)
foundations to become aLNG
manyrelating to “sustainability” Madrid. The association’s mission
- TerminalFactors
(www.eemshaven-Ing.nl)
NorNed of
cableand
- 700 energy
MWe (www.tennet.nl)
branched industry and network
transition have thus is to position itself as a green sports
NUON Magnum - 1.300 MWe (www.nuon.nl)
expertise in the Northern Netherlands.
become
important themes for this association with the most sustainable
RWE - 1.600 MWe (www.rwe.nl)
And the region is also positioning
region, which
explains why STOPAQ possible approach. As an example,
Energy Park Eemshaven
(www.groningen-seaports.com)
Bio Power Plant
MWe (www.biox.nl)
itself on that basis: the Northern
as -a50
manufacturer
of sustainable anti- its management, staff and players all
Bio Power Plant - 100 MWe (www.evelop.nl)
Netherlands is the energy region
of
corrosion
systems
feels
so particularly drive gas-fuelled cars.
Windpark Millenergy - 60 MWe (www.windparkdelfzijlnoord.nl)
the Netherlands and it follows
from
at home
consortium.
Waste
to energy
plant - in
50this
MWe
(www.bkb.de)
this, of course, that its full Hydrogen
focus isPower Plant - 120 KW (www.akzonobel.nl)
The Energy Valley Topclub has a
Pyrolyse fuel plant (www.bio-oil-holding.eu)
on energy transition and sustainable
Sports names
special lounge at FC Groningen’s
Bio Methanol Plant - 1 billion litre/year (www.biomcn.eu)
forms of energy.
has been
an active “green modern and quite splendid stadium
Pure Plant Oil STOPAQ
plant - 3,5 million
litre/year
Kollo Sic - 35 member”
MWe (www.kollosic.nl)
Energy Valley’s solid cornerstones
of Energy Valley since 2010. where, prior to the start of matches, it
capture NUON
MagnumValley
(www.nuon.nl)
are Gasunie and Gasterra.CO2These
The Energy
Topclub affiliated holds regular lectures, presentations
Wind park - 63 MWe (www.growind.nl)
companies have helped build
the
to
this
sponsors
a
number
leading and debates on the theme of “energy”.
Biodiesel Plant Biovalue - 240 million litre/yearof
(www.biovalue.nl)
basis of the Energy Valley brand,
sports
in Groningen in STOPAQ takes an active part in these
Energynot
Transition
Park companies
Eemsdelta
capture and
re-use
Chemiepark
only advancing the region’sCO2
profile
order
to put
the intitiatives occurring discussions and is consequently a
CO2 capture RWE
in Europe but also worldwide.
In
in
the
Northern
proud member of the Energy Topclub.
Eemsdelta Green (www.costa-due.nl)Netherlands under
Groningen
The Oman Gas
Company is
committed to
achieve tech­
nical excellence
in terms of
maintaining
integrity of
its gas network. Several major
integrity related projects were
completed in the past or are in
the verge of completion. A brief
account of each project is made
here by Rajdeep Dutta, former
Head Integrity Management at
Oman Gas Company and now
Head Pipelines Maintenance
Planning at Petroleum
Development Oman.
Coating Rehabilitation
A major coating rehabilitation project
has been completed on 16”, the
Murayrat–Wadi Jizzi gas pipeline.
The contractor was Galfar. Under this
project approximately 1200 coating
defect locations were excavated,
verified and repaired with STOPAQ.
The 20” Yibal–Al Ghubrah gas line
had its original FBE coating damaged
over almost its entire length. A total of
14 sections were strategically selected
for continuous coating rehabilitation,
where higher density of external
metal loss corrosion was reported
by IP. The work was carried out
under maintenance contract and was
completed by February 2006.
Intelligent Pigging & Verification
A major contract was awarded to
Rosen to carry out high resolution
MFL type intelligent pigging (IP) in
all piggable OGC pipelines over a total
length of 1,862 Km in 2004. The IP
program was successfully completed.
IP follow-up activities, e.g. dig-up
verification and recoat & repair were
completed. All metal loss defects
reported to be more than 30% of wall
thickness (WT) were excavated and
verified. Automated UT was used for
internal defects, whereas direct pit
depth gauging was used to verify the
external defects.
Pipeline Composite Repair
During IP verification any defects
reported and/or found to be more
than 50% of WT were repaired with
IMG composite repair system. If the
safe pressure as per ASME B31.8 was
calculated to be less than present
MAOP of the pipeline, these defects
were also repaired and the original
MAOP of the pipeline restored. In
2004 a total of 126 m composite
repairs were carried out, whereas in
2005 this number was just 176.5 m.
Cathodic Protection Upgrade
The contract was awarded to W.J.
Towell and under this project in
2005, a total of 11 CP stations were
successfully
commissioned
and
delivered in fully functional condition.
With the newly commissioned CP
stations, the 16” Murayrat – Wadi
Jizzi gas pipeline is 100% cathodically
protected at present. Whereas in 2002
(when OGC took over its operation)
only 20% of its length was properly
protected. Similar success is aimed
for 20” gas lines on completion of this
project. This pipeline has historically
suffered very low level of CP, due
to system inadequacy coupled with
failed external FBE coating.
Facility & Section Replacement
Buried
drain
vessels
removal
completed at the following PRTs: SIE,
Shafa, Al Ghubrah, RPP/RIE, Wudam
& SQU PRTs. All removed vessels were
delivered to OGC Mabella yard. As
recommended by in-house corrosion
audit, corroded sections of the Al
Ghubrah delivery line and Wadi Jizzi
(train-II) piping assembly have been
successfully replaced with new ones. A
300 m. section of 20” gas pipeline was
exposed and displaced due to wadi
washout at Bidbid area. The section
was isolated and successfully replaced
with a new one and the pipeline
recommissioned.
10
total
care
Spring 2014
11
Spring 2014
everywhere, anywhere
why
anodeflex
The Anodeflex™ system offers a better, more cost effective,
and environmental friendly approach to pipe rehabilitation.
It is typically installed in the same right of way as the pipe,
adjacent to the pipe, with only minimal disturbance of the
environment.
why
stopaq
STOPAQ® produces and supplies worldwide a broad range
of innovative patent defended self-healing anti-corrosion
solutions. The self-healing systems with unique viscoelastic properties prevent corrosion of your valuable assets
for life. STOPAQ® systems are maintenance-free and seal
completely and permanently any substrate against the
ingress of water, oxygen, bacteria or AC/DC current.
why
polyken
Polyken® pipeline tape coating systems provide pipeline
protection with cold-applied and fused tape coating
products for various climates and environments. With a full
range of multi-layered coating systems and a host of coating
accessories, Polyken® is ready to respond to customers
anywhere around the globe.
why
covalence
Covalence® heat shrink force technologies provide strong
mechanical strength performance and corrosion protection
for oil, gas and water transmission pipelines. With
technology born of the atomic age, shrink sleeves are unique
in their ability to perform safely and efficiently.
why
powercrete
Powercrete® is a solvent free epoxy coating used for
rehabilitation, directional drilling, girth weld protection,
bends, fittings and odd shapes, offshore applications, patch
and repair and potable water applications. Powercrete®
epoxies are designed to meet the requirements of the most
demanding pipeline applications.
12
Spring 2014
Welcome to the world
of Seal For Life Industries
13
Spring 2014
WHO IS WHO AT SFL?
Welcome to the new website of Seal for Life Industries.
On this website you will find the new markets in which we
operate, the solutions and systems that we can offer you and
news about the latest developments in the field of corrosion
prevention. After many months of preparation, we are proud
to be able to show you our World.
Christof Stroeter
John Wakim
KB Singh
Ahmed Moinuddin
Cor Prins
Chris Banton
Aaron Schiflet
Cindy Patton
Nathan Knight
Emiel Lubbers
Erik Smid
Jeroen Kuipers
Leticia Pelayo
Drs. Frits Doddema
Ing. Sander Hofstee
Neill Gil
Stefan Krieken
G. Singh Sethi
Dirk Totte
Dinko Cudic
Sam Thomas
Osvaldo D’Albuqerque
Ana Cervantes
Dong Kyu Yoon
Riyadh Al-Hasan
Adelaide Cappa
Elmar Chavet
Paul Spee
Seal For Life is not just a slogan, but the main theme
of our thinking and doing. Total Care is what
we stand for. In the same way we want
to give you a complete overview of our
solutions and services. However, if you still
miss certain things, please let us know!
[email protected]
Marcia E. Navarro
Inge Robyns
Abboud Mamish
Chris Chen
Katrien Masschelein
Abhishek Kapur
One World,
One Mission
Sneak preview
Dhirendra Sharma
Rajeev Sharma
Amarjeet Bains
*** This picture overview is a first snapshot. Other members
will be introduced in the next SFL Times.
Dare to Care Convention 2013, Stadkanaal, the Netherlands
14
Spring 2014
15
Spring 2014
The total care cathodic prot ection casing filler solution
Written by F. Kuyt, FNR (formerly Nederlandse Gasunie NV)
In the Netherlands, casings are obligatory under certain conditions. For example, pipes may not cross railways
without a casing. Plastic or certain coated casings can shield the cathodic protection current however and therefore
are not suitable for cathodic protection of steel carrier pipes and for this reason complementary measures are
necessary to protect them against corrosion. Moreover, under certain conditions there is no possibility to verify or
monitor the corrosion prevention system inside the casing once it is in place. In such cases, the construction of the
pipeline and the situation in which the pipeline is laid require specific protection measures.
Until the beginning in protecting the
pipeline inside the casing against
corrosion. The cathodic protection
current could reach the pipeline inside
the material of the casing. However,
with the prohibitions against the use of
asbestos cement casings, this situation
changed. With newer casing materials,
the industry could no longer trust that
the cathodic protection would work
properly. Because casings are often
located in hard-to-access areas and
ineffective cathodic protection gives
rise to corrosion issues, it became
increasingly important to treat the
carrier pipe inside the casing to prevent
corrosion.
Considerations for corrosion
prevention of a pipeline
inside a casing
If the material of the casing is not
isolating, additional measures are not
needed. However, despite the fact the
pipe is sealed on both sides, water and/
or soil almost always find their way into
the casing. Frequently, this occurs with
condensation which is very aggressive to
steel.
If the material of the casing is
not shielding the protection current
and is completely filled with water,
cathodic protection will do its job and
no corrosion of the carrier pipe will
occur. However, this is a very uncertain
situation. Most of the time, the carrier
pipe is not protected against corrosion.
After investigations and practical ex­
pe­riments, we were convinced that the
Stopaq material is an excellent anticorrosion system for our pipelines du­
ring a very long period. We saw through
research that the system keeps its
properties for at least 35 - 40 years. With
this knowledge and our experience in the
fill holes and crevices. We did practical
investigations and discovered that the
liquid kept its properties after it became
Dutch Gasunie of using wrapping bands
and paste in anti-corrosion systems
(in which the pipeline does not need
maintenance), when we met a problem
with a casing we tried to find a solution
with the use of an anti-corrosion system.
The only way to prevent possible future
corrosion problems is to fill the annulus
of the casing with an anticorrosion
system material. We found that only
Stopaq’s casing filler system could fulfill
our demands.
solid again. We filled a casing and saw
that the liquid filled it completely. The
temperature was raised to 60ºC and
the material is then liquid and as thin
as water which makes it rather easy
to fill the annulus completely. After
cooling of the liquid the properties did
not change. The adhesion to the metal
or coating of the pipe inside the casing
remains the same and there is no change
in the flow properties. So the pipe will
be covered completely and corrosion
will not occur for a very long period.
The cathodic protection current mea­
surements showed that the current
demand decreased dramatically.
Stopaq casing filler is a fluid-like liquid
at a temperature of about 60ºC. So the
whole annulus can be filled with Stopaq.
We started with an experiment to fill one
casing and this was very successful.
Properties of Stopaq
anti-corrosion system
In co-operation with Stopaq, we de­
veloped a method to fill the annulus
of the casing with a liquid Stopaq
anticorrosion system. The Stopaq
ma­
terial has excellent properties to
adhere to every other known coating
material. At 60ºC the Stopaq material
is a fluid liquid. With measurements
in combination with calculations it is a
possible to establish if the protection of
the carrier pipe is sufficient or not.
On the other hand if there is no possibi­
lity anymore for easy access to the buried
pipeline because new roads will be built,
we must take measures to protect the
integrity of the pipeline. integrity. This
can be done by installing a cathodic
protection system inside the casing by
means of galvanic anodes. However
after about 10 years the system will
not deliver enough cathodic protection
current. So you have to take into account
that in a relatively short period, the
system will have to be renewed.
The renewing of the corrosion
prevention and cathodic protection
Conclusion
systems is very difficult, especially
when accessibility to the casing
becomes an issue because there is a
new construction built above ground.
For new constructions, cleaning of
the annulus is not necessary, but
problems occur with the cleaning of
the annulus of existing casings. With
water under a certain pressure and
flow the space between the carrier
pipe and the casing is cleaned with
water under a certain pressure and
flow. The Stopaq material adheres very
intensively to the metal surface . The
anti-corrosion system used for the casing
in combination with the carrier pipeline
will provide protection against corrosion
for a very long time. The system can even
be called maintenance-free. Cathodic
protection is not necessary and is even
not possible because the casing filler
material will completely cover the metal
End of a
weak spot
Factory Applied Line Pipe Coatings are used for horizontal drilling,
transmission pipelines and distribution pipelines.
Worldwide, millions of square meters have been sealed by STOPAQ. Now,
entire pipes can be coated in the factory or on site in especially developed
mobile coating plants. STOPAQ cooperates exclusively with excellent renowned
preferred suppliers of machinery like Ehri BV, Selmers BV and Bouwmeester
BV to offer various solutions.
Systems can be applied in the factory or in mobile coating plants on site.
STOPAQ Basecoat can be supplied in containers for specific-like application
with 3LPE/3LPP coating plants. Special spray-like units can be provided via
our Seal For Life Technologies and Services team.
“Woldwide,
millions of
square meters
are sealed by
STOPAQ.”
Plant Saltillo, Mexico
surface. At this moment, casing filler can
be applied all over the world. There is for
example a container filled with casing
filler on its way to Sakhalin to solve a
corrosion problem.
Technique
As previously mentioned, the Stopaq
mate­
rial has the properties to adhere
to the coating materials and to flow to
Now there is a new way for
corrosion prevention of buried
pipelines inside hard-to-access
casings. We can describe this as an
anti-corrosion system. The casing
filler material stays flexible with
broad temperature ranges and
maintains complete coverage of
the metal surface to be protected.
The solution is maintenancefree after application for a very
long time. Cathodic protection
is not necessary and is even not
possible because the material will
completely cover the metal surface
to be protected against corrosion.
Given
the
Dutch
Gasunie
experience, today we use Stopaq
anti corrosion system – the Stopaq
anti-corrosion system - termed the
‘Stopaq casing filler’- inside all new
casings and if necessary in existing
casings.
16
Spring 2014
17
Spring 2014
Experience Center
E!
R
A
C
O
T
DARE
Conlexic Electra
(Red Eectric Jellyfish)
Coming soon in 3D
The Seal For Life Industries Experience Center
is located in Stadskanaal, a relatively small
community in the north of the Netherlands.
The Center welcomes many visitors, including
business partners, students, and governmental
authorities who are provided with a thorough
overview of what happens around pipes above
and below ground, as well as above and under
water. An interactive history describes obsolete
methods,
tested
methods
and
innovative
solutions to corrosion and sealing issues. Novel
protection
The Conlexic Electra (Red Eectric Jellyfish) is a special animal as
he protects himself against natural enemies to issue power surges of
up to 60 volts. AnodeFlex, member of Seal For Life Industries also
knows all about protecting your valuable conduits through electricity.
Cathodic protection, to be exact. Effective electric power management shifts the potential of pipelines such that corrosion is suppressed.
Especially in combination with one of our sealing solutions for example STOPAQ visco elastic sealants - corrosion is no longer
an issue. AnodeFlex™ is an impressed current, flexible cable
anode, especially for use in cathodic protection systems for
buried structures. Placed alongside a pipe or other buried
metal structure, AnodeFlex™ provides uniform cathodic protection to
every point, with a minimum of interference from adjacent structures.
Don’t take any risk. Seal for Life with Anodeflex.
thinking and the constant quest for innovation
are the leading principles that bind together all
the partners of Seal For Life Industries.
18
Spring 2014
Non-sense of
non-shielding coatings
Select the right coating for moisture resistance
19
Spring 2014
Subsea Application in Trieste, Italy
Client:
SIOT
Location:
Trieste, Italy
Object:
Jetty Piles
Object dimensions:
Piles 1000mm diameter
Existing coating:
Epoxy/Impressed Current
Reason:
Severe corrosion due to failure
of existing coating
Applied system Subsea:
Stopaq Subsea Compound/PVC
yellow/OGS XT24
Applied system dry area:
Stopaq CZH/PVC
Surface preparation:
High pressure waterjetting, 400 bar
In February 2012 Stopaq
assisted the SIOT/Lo Perfido
project in Trieste.
Stopaq was asked to assist with two
piles which were previously coated,
pre-installation, with an undefined
epoxy coating still demonstrating
good adhesion in dry areas above
the water line. The splash zone
area, however had been maintained
over the years with various epoxy
coatings and the piles suffered
from severe corrosion in some
areas. The impressed current had
caused premature failure right after
application (within 1 to 6 weeks)
on the piles, and additional failures
due to salt entrapment and cracking
of the existing protection system
developed over a service period of 2
to 5 years.
According to Dr. D. Norman (University of Cambridge) on
behalf of the European Pipeline Research Group (EPRG),
the external part of a pipeline has two different lines of
defense against corrosion. This corrosion can be caused
Properties
The Stopaq corrosion prevention
ma­te­rials are fully flexible and do not
require tensioned application. The
materials do not harden or cure and
keep their unique characteristics
by the environment around the pipe including natural soil,
waste materials and seawater.
throughout the lifetime of the object.
The materials are impermeable to
water and oxygen, two ingredients
that cause corrosion, and adhere to
any surface, including steel, concrete,
PVC and existing coatings.
Smit Subsea Divers trained by Stopaq
Instructor Bas Huizing. All men got certified
after an extensive dry and underwater training
at the Dubai Subsea Diving Centre. The divers
are about to repair subsea oil pipelines from
construction defects against the risks of
corrosion.
In his outline, he sketches that the first line of defense is the external
pipeline coating. The second line of defense is cathodic protection,
designed to prevent corrosion at sites of damage to the coating. The
long-term performance of an external pipeline coating may thus be
defined as its ability to prevent active corrosion of the pipeline steel
either directly or in combination with the applied Cathodic Protection
(CP).
“Stress corrosion
is most commonly
found under a
coating that has
become porous or
has lost adhesion.”
Pipeline coating design
Pipeline coating is designed to prevent
the corrosive elements of the backfill
from directly contacting the pipe steel. A
coating may be deemed to have failed if
any soil or water does make contact with
the pipe steel. Nevertheless, some degree
of coating failure is unavoidable and CP
provides a particularly cost effective
solution to this problem. A low level
of coating defects and a fully effective
CP system is, for most operators, a
common and acceptable condition for
an operating pipeline.
 
Pipeline coating degeneration
Coating degeneration can take many
different forms. The primary objective
of this article is to identify the cause and
mechanism of degeneration and how it
can be prevented.
The importance of exploring coating
degeneration to a pipeline operator is
to assess the impact it has on pipeline
corrosion. Furthermore, the cost and
complexity of implementing a corrosion
management strategy play a vital role
in coping with the risks caused by the
degraded coating. Active corrosion on
underground pipelines can occur where
the coating is defective and the corrosion
process may be driven by one the
following conditions:
• Ineffective CP
The most common cause of ineffective
CP is poor quality monitoring which
fails to identify under-protection and
extensive coating breakdown. This
breakdown creates a total current
demand far in excess of the original
CP design criteria.
3. Which measures can be taken to
­quantify the degeneration of coatings
on pipelines that are approaching, or
have exceeded the original design life?
• CP Shielding
CP current is prevented from flowing
onto the pipe steel by a high resistance
barrier, such as coating that has lost
adhesion to the pipe. This creates
conditions in which pitting and
general corrosion occurs. In anaerobic
soil conditions the rate of corrosion
attack may be accelerated by bacterial
or microbial activity.
According to J. Leeds, the biggest
problem of CP and Coatings is the
uneasiness with pipe-to-soil potentials
and lack of accurate coating survey
methods. Most common methods used
to monitor CP and by inference) pipe
line coating conditions and corrosion, are
rudimentary and subject to inaccuracies.
• External Drivers
Electrical interference, stray current
and galvanic effects can nullify
the effect of the applied CP and
create a corrosion problem where
the pipe coating is defective. AC
induced corrosion is most commonly
associated with small coating defects.
• Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC)
Stress
corrosion
cracking
on
underground pipelines is most
commonly found under a coating
that has become porous or has lost
adhesion. Moisture must be present
at the pipe surface but the critical
potential for SCC initiation and growth
is less negative than the commonly
accepted protection potential of  –
850 mV so CP shielding is a factor in
SCC. Some degree of pressure cycling
is required for axial crack growth.
Pipeline coating assessment
The criteria for judging significant
coating degradation or failure may
depend on the particular operating
environment for a pipeline. The optimal
remedy for controlling corrosion risks
will depend on which of these above four
conditions apply to the pipeline.
CP shielding poses particular problems
because the symptoms of CP shielding
cannot be measured reliably from
the ground surface. Thus detecting
the resulting corrosion can only be
determined by intelligent pigging or
direct observation. For this reason
special emphasis is placed on the
degradation mechanisms that contribute
to the risk of CP shielding on an
operational pipeline.
 
The approach taken in this article has
been to ask the following questions:
1. Can coating be applied and operated
in such a way that none of these failure
modes critically impairs the integrity
of the pipeline within the original
design life?
2. If there is evidence that pipe coatings
are showing premature failure, which
measures are required for future
­prevention?
rehab
sisters
Pipeline
resistance
coating
moist
The fundamental role of a pipe line
protection in the form of coating is to
provide an electrical and electrochemical
barrier isolating steel from corrosive soil
by insulating anode and cathode areas.
This brings corrosion to a halt by breaking
the continuity of the electrical circuit.
The fundamental component of which
the coating is made, must be moisture
resistant. This guards the coating against
further degeneration caused by any
dampness that penetrates into the steelcoating interface.
Keeping your pipelines healthy 24/7
Few suppliers pay attention to longI n d u s tterm
r i e smoisture resistance of coating.
This, however, is the element that really
matters. A study of protective coating data
c100 m0 y30 k20
c0 m75 y100 k0
c55 m55 y0 k0
c0 m100 y87 k0
c20 m100 y50 k0
c85 m45 y0 k0
c0 m0 y0 k100
reveals that emphasis is unfairly placed
on mechanical properties and pseudo-soil
effects. Moisture uptake can significantly
reduce coating mechanical properties,
making it much easier for soil stresses to
permeate and damage the coating. Hence
all mechanical properties should be
related to the coating’s moisture content
and all properties should be evaluated at
a series of moisture contents.
A coating’s moisture resistance is reduced
by holes: defects that expose steel to
corrosive soil. Undermining these defects
gives rise to degeneration which can be
yards in length and represent a major
problem for operators, particularly if
the voids fill with moisture. If the voids
are anaerobic and full of nutrients, they
also become sites for sulfate-reducing
bacterial activity with associated
corrosion processes.
Pipeline coating preservation
Is there no coating system that can
guarantee to completely fulfill the basic
requirement of separating anode and
cathode areas on a steel pipe(line) from
the corroding environment for its design
life?
To answer this question, it is necessary
to look at non cross-linked anticorrosion
and adhesive materials which bond on a
molecular level to steel and PE. CP is as
a supplementary technique to contain
corrosion processes at coating defects if
applicable as the visco-elastic systems
exhibit self-healing characteristics. This
feature is intrinsic, and inherent to the
system. Traditionally, there are two
­coating-defect distributions: 1) Size, and
2) Distance. Both distributions determine
how CP is apportioned on a line and
determine the CP’s effectiveness at
individual coating defects. This is matter
most.
Coating-defect numbers vary. Generally
the newer the pipeline, the fewer the
defects. Defect numbers also vary with
the coating system used. The coating
systems showing fewest defects as the
pipeline ages are FBE or extruded PE
three-layer and extruded two-layer,
largely related to field joints where tape
or sleeves were used. The coating system
showing the largest defect numbers in
the shortest time is polyethylene tape or
butyl adhesive where severe ruffling can
occur in less than a year, but this ruffling
is determined by pipe diameter and
soil conditions. In dry sand such a tape
system can show excellent properties and
few defects after 20 years of exposure.
Therefore unqualified statements can
lead to unfair conclusions about coating
systems.
20
Spring 2014
Case Histories: Coating Condensating
Pipeline or Subsea/Splashzone X-Knots
21
Spring 2014
Case Study
Client Shell UK
Contractor Wood Group, Cape
Location Mossmorran, Scotland,
United Kingdom
Object Structural
Object dimensions Various I-Beam and
H-Beams
Year of application 2013
Existing coating system 3 layer (zinc phosphate
primer, epoxy midcoat, PU
topcoat)
Reason Severe corrosion due to
failure and weathering of
existing
Applied coating system STOPAQ basecoat, PU
topcoat black
Surface preparation St 2 / St 3, water jetting /
Sa 2 ½ on pitted area
Temperatures+5 to +25 ambient,
+10 to +25 surface
Mosmorran
Australia
In December 2012, Anti Corrosion Technology Pty Ltd (STOPAQ B.V.’s Australian Partner) was
1. Measuring and precut of Stopaq EZS Basecoat
successful in specifying STOPAQ corrosion protective system with Australia’s largest independent
oil & gas company and one of the world’s leading producers of liquefied natural gas. The objective
was to repair a damaged jacket leg on a major LNG platform in offshore Western Australia
– where severe corrosion activity was evident on the steel substrate due to existing coating
failure. After weighing up all the advantages of STOPAQ in comparison to conventional coating
systems – such as minimal surface preparation, safe and easy scope of work and application for
the contractor, proven long–term performance as a corrosion protection system, etc. – it was
obvious that the only solution was STOPAQ’s anti–corrosion system. The STOPAQ system, which
was effectively applied to the damaged X–knot section by rope access, consisted of CZH Paste, CZH
Wrappingband, Intermediate PVC and Outerglass Shield XT. The success of this project indeed
sparked great client confidence to utilize STOPAQ for many other of their offshore (and onshore)
applications.
2. Application of the pre-cut Stopaq EZS basecoat pieces as the corrosion prevention layer
3. Details of the application in the corners
4. Application of the PU topcoat mechanical protection layer
5. Complete, finished system
Mexico
Pemex and the Mexican Ministry of Communications and Transport
awarded Stopaq a project to protect pipelines at Paso del Toro in Boca
del Rio, State of Veracruz. Rehabilitation was required due to the
failure of the existing coal tar coating on the 30” and 20” LP gas and
oil transport pipelines. Located in a hot and humid environment, the
surface temperature was 12-17 º Celsius so air temperatures between
27-29 º Celsius left condensation on the lines. Without shutting down
the pipe, the Stopaq coating system was successfully applied, consisting
of Stopaq Wrappingband CL, intermediate PVC (yellow) and outerwrap
PVC.
22
Spring 2014
23
Spring 2014
What to look for in a visco-elastic coating system?
non-crosslinkable and no minimum
design temperatures
In the world of the big brands, the struggle
between innovation and those that would copy
goes on. Seldom does a day pass that the press
does not report on disputes between innovators
and those that allegedly copy to compete. We are
all familiar with Apple vs. Samsung, Google vs.
Microsoft, or Nokia vs. Research in Motion. A
patent represents an exclusive right granted by
a State to an inventor.
In exchange for making public the invention (and
solving a problem or making a contribution to
society’s technological progress), the exclusive
right allows the patentee, for a limited period, to
prevent others from making, using, selling, or
distributing the invention without permission.
We are proud to manufacture unique and
protected anti-corrosion (visco-elastic) solutions.
So our motto is: do it right, do it once!
No cathodic disbondment
Does not disbond from blasted or re-rusted
steel in a few minutes at ambient temperatures
Fluid properties may be sprayed
Highly chemical resistant
Approved by renowned companies
High impermeability to water and oxygen
Maintains flexibility until -70°C
Real self-healing
Fully amorphous material, can be painted
Maintains fluid phase
Dripping point beyond 130°C
Will not spark at 35 kV
Cohesive fracture leaving compound in place on
surface by pulling the netting out of the band
Injectable
Can be applied underwater
No discoloration after water soak
immersion test
Advantages of
BASF’s Oppanol®
A unique set of properties in a
single product:
•High adhesive strength
•Adheres to most substrates,
e.g., pp, pe, fbe, and gre
•Does not cathodically disband
•Extremely low permeability
•No internal stress
•Long-term stability
Do It Right, Do It Once!
•Developing and producing non-toxic
anti-corrosion and sealing products
•Fast and easy to apply systems
•Healthy & safe solutions
•Non-polluting and no chemical waste
•Protecting the environment, both sea and land
•Providing a better working environment
•Providing logistical advantages
•Offering guaranteed solutions
•Being the best at what we do
•A reliable and trusted source
•Continuous improvement of compositions
Let’s get
technical:
Silicon Rubber
•n ≈ 18 – 72.000
•Covalent bonds only
•No sensitive chemical
groups
•Just Carbon and Hydrogen
•No possibility to crosslink
the polymer chain
20000
A rusted bolt is pushed into the bottom of a container
filled with Stopaq material. Pressure forces Stopaq to
flow underneath the entrapped air and cover the metal
surface. Once covered with Stopaq it will not be replaced
by air again.
PUR5500
Oppanol B150
520
Oppanol B100
110
Oppanol B80
110
Finally the entrapped air will detach from the metal
surface and will move into the Stopaq material. The
coverage is accelerated with temperature and the metal
surface is fully covered in the course of time.
Chemical Properties & Appeareance
Oppanol B15N
Immediate Cold-Applied Adhesion
“Conventional”
coatings
Oppanol B10N
1
10
45
220
100
1000
10000
100000
Permeability [g.1µm/m2/d]
H2 0
Test Results
The Fate of Entrapped Air
St 2-3
Manual cleaning
Powertool cleaning
- Free from loose parts
- Free from biological growth
- Free from oil & Grease
Above water line, degrease with Isopropanol
- Free of foreign matter
SEALANT:
Oppanol
80g/m2
VES
Speciality
paper
Water vapour barrier
Testing of Resistance to Cathodic Disbondment - Self-healing
Immediate adhesion to PP, Neoprene, alu , PE, ST2/3 prepared steel, wood
Surface Preparation
24
Spring 2014
E!
R
A
C
O
T
DARE
since 1956
original advert
We have a new extended Seal For Life family and a new logo, but with 55 years of proven in ground
performance Polyken Tape Coatings remain the King of anti-corrosion coatings. Coating trends
come and go, but only Polyken has passed the most critical of all tests – Time of Performance.