DEVELOPMENT OF A LOW APPLICATION TEMPERATURE FBE COATING

Fusion bonded epoxy (FBE) coatings have been used on pipelines as protection against corrosion for over 40 years. They have been used as a stand-alone product in single layer systems and as a primer in dual and three layer systems. To achieve optimal performance, current FBE products require application temperatures in excess of 230 degrees C for single layer systems and 200 C for three layer systems. The introduction of high strength steels such as X80, X100 and X120 for use in pipeline construction has presented a challenge to the industry in terms of the availability of suitable coating systems. High strength steels (particularly grades X100 and greater) cannot withstand pre-heat temperatures in excess of 200 degrees C. Exposure to the high heat required when coating with a typical FBE product results in the degradation of some of the key properties of these high strength steels. This paper will discuss the development and performance of a new generation FBE coating that can be applied at temperatures as low as 180 degrees C for single layer systems and as low as 150 degrees C for multi-layer systems. Performance of this new product will be compared to one of the best performing commercially available FBE products applied at 240 degrees C.