Painting and Coating

Painting is applied on above ground facilities to mitigate atmospheric corrosion. There are numerous paint products, paint systems and painting manufacturers available and painting/coating technology is much advanced now. Selection of a suitable painting / coating system requires thorough understanding and assessment of the environment to which the painting/coating would be exposed to. For atmospheric corrosion, it is essential to define environment corrosive category as per ISO standard. Other parameters such as maximum operating temperature of fluid, material of construction, insulation, ease of application and repair/maintenance must be considered while selecting paint system. Similarly for pipeline coating systems, a due consideration must be given to soil nature (dry or subkha), riser sections, HDD crossings, water submerged or oil spill areas. A carefully selected proper coating system is primary defense against soil corrosion while cathodic protection system is secondary line of defense. A poorly selected or poorly applied coating system will put a considerable pressure towards cathodic protection system.