Background

Providing long term asset protection while helping minimise specification complexity and increasing productivity

In recent years, oil & gas asset owners have discovered that traditional methods of protecting piping and equipment have serious drawbacks. Phenolic epoxies, that have been the product of choice for high temperature service applications, typically have poor corrosion resistance at ambient temperatures. In addition, their susceptibility to chalking on exposure to UV has resulted in high profile failures when used in uninsulated end uses, especially in high UV and high rainfall locations.

The Solution

This limitation of phenolic epoxies prompted an oil major to look for alternatives to be used in a major LNG liquefaction project in Southeast Asia. The Interbond 2340UPC, based on alkylated amine epoxy technology, had been trialled at the oil major’s existing facilities and had shown promising performance in both insulated and uninsulated conditions. Based on the performance in these trials, it’s track record of successful applications in similar conditions, and independent test data demonstrating it’s performance at ambient and elevated temperatures, Interbond 2340UPC was selected for use on this project.

Interbond 2340UPC was applied at 2x100 microns to protect all process pipework operating between -46oC – 200oC. This ensured that despite the corrosive nature of the atmosphere and high UV levels at the project location, the owner could rest assured of long term protection without the need for frequent repairs.