Functional coating
Pipelines made of steel pipes are veins that supply the entire world with important raw materials. The line systems are needed to transport drinking water, gas or oil across long distances. They can be subject to extreme conditions, no matter if they are routed above-ground, underground or even under water. Outer coatings are important for the longevity and resilience of such systems. Coatings inside the pipes have important functions as well.
Functional external pipe coatings
External coatings for pipelines mostly serve to mechanically protect them against damage during installation and to prevent corrosion. The protection layer is applied directly to the metal surface. Layers in thicknesses of 300 to 500 micrometres effectively protect against environmental and other influences for a long period of time.
Beyond this protection, the pipes can also be given better physically-chemical properties. This may be better cold or heat resilience, or increased abrasion resistance.
Better flow rates thanks to internal coatings
A plastic coating on the inside serves to protect the pipe from corrosion, while also protecting the transported material from rust particles that might come loose of the pipe surface due to material disintegration. A functional coating can optimise the flow behaviour in a gas line or oil pipeline.
Flow coats or flow-efficiency coats in accordance with DIN EN 10301 may reduce the surface roughness in gas pipelines to below 5 micrometres. This reduces gas friction on the internal surface of the pipes and improves gas flow. The gas area usually uses solvent-free epoxy-resin coatings with layer thicknesses of 50 to 100 micrometres. By comparison, drinking water pipelines use coatings of 300 and 500 micrometres.
Pipelines sometimes need special protection against biological influences of the transported material. Organic crude oil may contain bacteria that can destroy unprotected steel pipes.
Beyond this, we are able to implement many other functional coatings. They can be used, for example, to achieve antistatic properties or a better wear protection. The latter is particularly important in the pipeline area, since wear inside pipelines is difficult to find and thus should be avoided in the first place.
Customised coating solutions for unique projects
Any application has its issues and its own requirements. If the common coating systems are not enough, we will adjust them accordingly. Where necessary, we will develop new coating solutions customised for your needs in close coordination with you. Many years of experience in many different processes now only enables us to produce coatings to your wishes. We also have comprehensive optimisation and consulting competence in the technical area of functional coating.
