Over the course of several years, a steel fabricator in Scunthorpe, UK, has saved millions of pounds by deploying a series of polymeric repair and protection systems, including epoxy repair mortars and stainless steel protective coatings, on their gas pipeline.
In 2016, after 45 years of service, the gas main was exhibiting severe pitting and corrosion damage. This was taking place at the four o’clock and eight o’clock positions on the 2.7-m-diameter pipeline, where a waterline between liquid and gas forms.
Having previously opted to replace the steel pipes, the client was looking for an alternative solution to this, bypassing the costly fees that replacement can incur. For each meter of pipeline replaced, the client paid £8,000. This meant that to replace the 90-m section, the cost was £720,000.