Pipeline Corrosion Protection

The application and maintenance of anticorrosion protection is one of the most important aspects affecting pipe manufacturing, laying and operation of pipelines. The two essential components of pipeline protection are:

• Anticorrosion Coatings
• Cathodic Protection

Some argue that the latter is more important than the former.
Both are vital to ensuring the long life and operating safety of cross country pipelines.

For over 55 years, the pipeline coating industry concentrated on field–applied coatings. Long distance pipelines were coated with automatic equipment
— Line Travel CPT (Clean, Prime, Tape) machines. For short lengths of pipe, small, hand operated equipment was used. The main advantages of coating on site were cost and speed.

Major progress in development of coating materials and technologies as well
as rising demands of users made plant applied coatings the desired alternative,
as they promised to be cheaper and more reliable in comparison
to field–applied.

Since the quality of coating achieved with plant applied coatings is better
— pipe can be cleaned to a higher standard and the application is not sensitive to weather or terrain conditions — the industry has made the shift to primarily plant applied coatings. They can now be applied at the pipe mill or at coating plants nearer to the right–of–way.

As, semi–stationary plants become more widespread, they allow the end–user and contractor to deliver pre–coated pipe almost damage free, with improved logistics and delivery and in some cases "added value" for in–country application.