Advanced Coatings R and D for Pipelines and Related Facilities

Abstract

In the early 1920s, the National Bureau of Standards initiated a study into the underground corrosion of uncoated steel pipes. Very early in this study it became clear that coatings would be required for some environments, and a second study of coated pipes was initiated immediately. Pipeline coatings have been the subject of research and development ever since, and coatings, coating application methods, in-field application and repair technologies, and inspection technologies have evolved dramatically since these first studies. Today, a wide variety of high-quality coating systems are available for new pipeline construction, but the existing infrastructure of pipelines is protected with a wide range of coating types with varying ages. Therefore, the R&D needs of the pipeline community with respect to coatings ranges from testing protocols for evaluating new coatings and standards for quality control, to methods for evaluating of the performance and remaining life of coatings in service and remediation. The objective of this workshop was to bring the pipeline community together to discuss, identify, and prioritize coating R&D needs for improving the safety of pipelines.