Clairene Bazilio
Research Engineer
Therma Vault Systems Inc.
Clairene Bazilio holds the position of Research Engineer at Therma Vault Systems Inc, a powder coating resin and application research company. She is involved in new product development and application methods improvement. She has more than 20 years of experience in the area of polymer engineering, material science, and coating formulation and has held both scientific research and consulting positions. Clairene received her B.Sc. degree in Industrial Chemistry from The City University in London and her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Bath.
Field-Applied Thermoplastic Epoxy Powder Coating Development for Girth Weld Protection
There is sustained interest in the pipeline coating industry to develop multi-functional, single-layer protective coatings that can replace two- and three-layer systems with similar or better performance.
This work reports the development of an experimental powder coating formulation that provides both the high adhesion and corrosion resistance properties of epoxies as well as the flexibility and toughness of thermoplastics. The use of epoxy-based thermoplastic resin material presents an opportunity to develop stand-alone, high-performance pipeline coatings with base layer adhesion and top layer toughness typically seen with multi-layer coatings.
The dual properties of this experimental epoxy-based thermoplastic coating were investigated to protect buried field joints from corrosion and external loads. Experimental powder was applied on the girth welds using a portable and repeatable flame spray method. The coating was produced in a one-step process without the need for post-application heating. The coated girth weld pipes were buried for two years. Exhumed girth welds were found well-shielded by the coating without any rust, coating disbondment or physical damage. This new generation of thermoplastic-based epoxy coating provides alternatives to standard industry epoxy coatings due to its dual functionality and ease of application. developments (anti-viral, low-cure, hyperdurable, high performance anti-graffiti and much more)