Pipelines are used globally to transport a variety of rnaterials including gas, crude, petroleum products as well as water. To a great degree, they fulfill a range of demands to provide safe and low cost conduits. Currently, more and more pipelines are being called upon to perform for durations beyond their planned life. In addition, the pipelines are being used for different media being transported under new conditions, not anticipated in the original design. Pipeline coatings are selected on the basis of product cost with less emphasis given for the impact of coating types on overall project costs or on asset integrity beyond the planned life. In view of this, there has to be some rethinking of the design and selection philosophy regarding pipeline coating. This will lead to an increasing demand for innovative and better perfomaing external corrosion coating systems to ensure pipeline assets are well protected and retain their value even after their planned assignments have been completed. This paper compares conventional Fusion Bonded Epoxy (FBE) coating against an innovative powder coated multi-component coating. Economic benefits of this coating system, particularly in the significant phases of new pipeline installations such as transportation, field storage, construction, and operational service are discussed.
Keywords: powder coated multi-component coating, corrosion, cathodic protection, economic benefit, design, lifetime