FBE Coatings for fluid and gas transmission pipelines

1. GLOBE LANE, DUKINFIELD, SK16 4UY, UK
: +44 (0) 161 330 4551 : www.northpoint.ltd.uk
MR. PHILIP DAWSON MBA
DIRECTOR: TECHNICAL & ORG.
DEVELOPMENT

2. About Philip Dawson MBA
1. Over 30-years experience in the coatings
application industry
2. Director of Northpoint Ltd for 12-Years
3. Executive MBA in 2006
4. Qualified BS EN ISO 9001: 2015 Lead Auditor
IRCA Lic. A-17940, Cert. 3709
5. Qualified BS EN ISO 9001: 2008 Lead Auditor
IRCA Lic. A-17395, Cert. 0689
6. Qualified BS OHSAS 18001: 2007 Lead Auditor
IRCA Lic. A-17625, Cert. 3794
BS EN ISO 9001 : 2008
Cert. # 2611

3. The Main Reasons to Choose FBE Coatings
for Internal Lining
1. Over 40-Years of Proven Field Use
2. Corrosion Protection
3. Flow Characteristics
4. Preventing the Formation of Organic Solids
5. Prevent Scaling
6. CP even when Blistered
7. Easy to detect FBE failure with Direct Current
Voltage Gradient (DCVG) Surveys affording the
option of a Low-Cost Local Repair

4. Design Considerations
1. Bolt holes should be widened to take account of
the FBE coating – Northpoint suggest 2 mm
2. Line-of-sight for shot-blasting operations, the
shot-blast media, like a beam of light or a bullet
will not go around corners
3. Allow sufficient bore to allow powder to flow-out
after dipping, the actual dip & melt/flow process
takes around 20 seconds in the fluid bed
4. No Sharp Edges – sharp edges and welds not
smoothed will present an area of weakness in the
applied coating
5. Weight & Size – up to 3000 kg, and 6 m long for
overpainting
6. Engineering Drawings – make them as clear & as
easy to follow as possible for the coating
applicator

5. Usual Internal Coatings Applied
Cement Lining & FBE are the two main coatings
applied to pipe and fitting internals.
Cement;
The flow of water through cement lined pipes leads
to leaching of calcium hydroxide decreasing the pH
of the water and eventual corrosion of the pipe.
FBE;
Epoxy is inert to water chemistry providing a long-
term solution for corrosion protection.

6. Failure Modes of FBE Coatings
All coatings can fail;
Surface Preparation – the main reason for coating failure. FBE requires a ‘near-white’ 40 - 100µ profile typically prepared steel surface.
Northpoint use ISO 8503-5 Std to measure profile.
Excessive Holidays – mostly caused by over-heating. Northpoint inspects as SP0188 to ensure parts are holiday free at the point of dispatch.
Application Temperature – it is critical that parts are not ‘over-heated’ this causes the FBE to become brittle, have reduced adhesion and
provide lowered barriers to oxygen. Northpoint operate at ‘straw-bronze’ colour reference to ensure correct application temperature.
Soil Stress – FBE is largely unaffected.
Cathodic Disbondment – CP will cause water to penetrate the coating more rapidly, it combines with surface salts to blister the coating. FBE
remains a non-shielding coating even when blistered to maintain the CP.
Chalking & Disbondment – ‘chalking’ from UV exposure will reduce FBE thickness up to 50µ when in sunlight. Protection from coverings and
over-painting reduces this impact to almost zero.

7. Cleaning & Blasting Process
An initial check for hydro-carbon contamination
followed by solvent cleaning and potable water
rinse where necessary
UV Light inspection showing patch contamination
and allowing efficient final clean where necessary
Abrasive Blast Clean using G24 chilled iron grit to a
profile of 50 - 100µ, SA 2.5 ISO 8502-03
Removal of dust before pre-heating
Records maintained of test results and retained for
reference before issue of final Certificate of
Conformity and Certificate of Test

8. The FBE & 2k PU Coating Process
FBE at 300µ minimum is applied to pre-heated
fittings by fluid-bed dip or electrostatic spray
method depending on part complexity
Masking is applied to ensure the 2k PU coating is
not applied to internal areas
2k PU coating system (etch-primer & coloured top-
coat) gravity-gun spray applied at an additional
circa 50µ
Parts are then force-dried overnight
A final check on coating finish for visual continuity
and thickness

9. Testing Results
FBE
DSC cure test by external test-house to assure full
cure effected (where required)
Minimum coating thickness of 300µ and a typical
mean of 500µ achieved
Routine inspections to demonstrate no coating
defects before dispatch; blast profile, blast
cleanliness, holidays, adhesion, impact resistance
and thickness
Close-Out inspections by NACE III Inspector (where
required)

10. Northpoint Capabilities
1. DWI Approved Coatings – Resicote R4,
Scotchkote 206N & Eurokote 468 Thixo
2. WRAS Approved Coatings – Resicote R4,
Jotaguard VA 5001
3. Approvals in Progress – Scotchkote 162PWX
(DWI & NSF Std. 61) & Jotaguard VA 5001 VA
(for direct WRAS Approval by NP)
4. Application of NORSOK Std. Coating Systems
go to;
http://www.northpointspecialistcoatings.com/
wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Norsok-
Standards-PDF-.pdf
5. Application of FBE + 2k PU
6. Fluoropolymer Systems – ECTFE, PFA, FEP, PTFE
7. ITP’s/PP’s to describe and manage the process
http://www.dwi.gov.uk/drinking-water-
products/approved-products/soslistcurrent.pdf

11. Contact Details and Where to Get
Copies of this Presentation
Contact Details;
+44 (0) 161 330 4551 – Office
+44 (0) 7 800 910 972 – Mobile/Cell
 philip@northpoint.ltd.uk
https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipdawson/
References;
1 – D. Neal, “Pipeline Coatings Failure – Not
Always What You think It Is” 2000
2 – R. Norsworthy, “Fusion Bonded Epoxy – A
Field Proven Fail Safe Coating System” 2004