3M recently introduced two new technology upgrades aimed at improving the operating performance and lifetime of materials for harsh deepwater environments.
New Fusion-Bonded Epoxy (FBE) Scotchkote Coatings
The company's new Scotchkote Coating 626-120 and Scotchkote Coating 626-140 offer solutions to address new operational challenges for high-temperature pipeline coatings in the oil and gas industry. Both products are one-part, heat-curable thermosetting epoxy powders designed as standalone coatings or as the corrosion barrier for a dual-layer FBE and multilayer polyolefin system for the corrosion protection of oil and gas pipelines.
Designed specifically for high-temperature applications, the new FBE coatings have excellent thermal properties that protect hot production pipelines from the coating degradation problems that leave them vulnerable to corrosion. Scotchkote coating 626-120 can operate up to 115 °C as a standalone coating, and up to 130 °C when used in a three-layer system. Scotchkote coating 626-140 can withstand temperatures up to 135 °C as a standalone and up to 150 °C as part of a three-layer system.
The 626-120 and 626-140 coatings are the newest additions to 3M's Scotchkote powdered epoxy resin product line, first introduced in the 1960s. According to 3M's marketing manager Henry Hernandez, Corrosion Protection Products, these new products were designed to help pipelines withstand the higher temperatures being experienced as a result of ever deeper oil and gas production. "This creates a problem of corrosion of pipes that requires advanced materials and technologies. 3M's Scotchkote coatings are designed to withstand the heat and provide a solution that offers reliable high-operating temperature coating systems for the oil and gas industry."
Glass Bubbles Technology Additions
To meet the industry's growing need for pipelines and risers that can withstand the low temperatures and high external pressures of deepwater subsea environments, 3M has added to its Glass Bubbles product line. The three new grades of Glass Bubbles products— S42XHS, XLD3000 and XLD6000—were developed with extra high strength (XHS) and extra low density (XLD) for deepwater insulation and buoyancy applications, according to the company.
These products, which were developed by taking advantage of recent material-property improvements in hollow-glass microsphere technology, offer a three-fold increase in strength-to-density performance over previous materials. This performance improvement reportedly allows surface facilities to be linked to longer subsea tiebacks at greater depths, reduces riser and flowline insulation dimensions for better placement, provides more efficient pipe lay operations at current depths, and improves overall operating efficiencies.
3M's Glass Bubbles technology has been used in subsea oil and gas applications for four decades. According to Rob Hunter, applications development specialist for 3M Oil & Gas, syntactic foam composites made with the first-generation glass bubble technology supported subsea applications down to approximately 5,000 ft. Subsequent technology improvements supported operations down to 7,500 ft and eventually, to 10,000 ft.
"3M's next-generation of glass bubbles are helping to extend the range of oil and gas production to as much as 15,000 feet below the surface," Hunter said. "Additionally, first-generation 3M hollow glass bubbles offered density and strength values of approximately 0.16g/cc at 500 psi, while these new fourth-generation 3M glass bubbles perform at the level of 0.3g/cc at 6000 psi."
To learn more about the Scotchkote line of corrosion-protection coatings, visit 3M's corrosion protection website.
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