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In addition to corrosion protection, many pipelines require thermal insulation to prevent hydrocarbons to produce waxes or hydrates. These heavier components can clog lines and require immediate attention. There is thus a continuous need of improvements in coating as oil and gas operations extends to unprecedented depths and temperatures. Deep water wells put stringent requirements on insulation products to withstand high compressive loads and tolerate exposure to particularly aggressive environments.
Over the past fifty tears, pipelines have been coated with a variety of protective coatings with a wide of performance. The advantages and disadvantages of the main coating types used for pipeline protection are summarized here.Selection of thermal insulation for a particular application is always a balance between the required thermal and mechanical performance. The applications where these coatings are used are summarized here and their operational limits are tabulated here with their insulating factor.
However, the development of coatings for deep sea applications is really dynamic and, as the range of these materials is broadened, the selection of an appropriate technical solution becomes less constrained.
