WATERPROOFING AND CORROSION PROTECTION OF PIPES, PIPELINES, WELLS, COLLECTORS AND TANKS FOR OIL PRODUCTS AND

When using pipes and pipelines, various containers for storing water and active liquids, including metal tanks, one inevitably encounters corrosion processes. These can be caused by exposure to adverse factors in both external and internal environments. Experience shows that over 50% of such objects become unusable within just a few years. This can occur in two years, and if the metal is unalloyed, even in a month. Consequently, transporting and storing aggressive substances is a very expensive undertaking. The result is an increase in the cost of the final product. The greatest damage occurs to oil pipelines and storage facilities designed to store petroleum products.

The experience of oil companies has enabled the identification of a number of measures to improve the corrosion resistance of main pipelines and tanker storage facilities. These include:

• Adding inhibitors to liquids to slow down corrosion.
• Manufacturing pipes and other tanks from low-alloy alloys.
• Sealing connecting threads.
• Using coatings to combat corrosion.

Unfortunately, adding inhibitors and using low-alloy and alloy steels is very uneconomical. Sealing seams also does not solve the existing problem, as it cannot completely stop the destructive processes.
Therefore, to prevent the destructive effects of corrosion on materials, tanks and pipes coated with anti-corrosion coatings are used.
Today, the chemical industry produces a huge range of anti-corrosion compounds, each of which is used in one or another situation. However, as practice shows, most of them do not have all the necessary qualities to guarantee the trouble-free operation of pipelines. Rapid wear, poor health safety (for example, in drinking water pipes), and poor resistance to the negative effects of aggressive environments are often compelling reasons to reject many waterproofing materials.

Polyurea – the best waterproofing material

Polyurea has demonstrated the highest results in protecting metal objects from corrosion. Depending on its application, a wide range of different compounds with varying sets of additional properties have been developed. Here are a few examples of the protective functions that polyurea easily performs:

• Anti-corrosion coatings for industrial fluid and wastewater pipelines.
• Corrosion protection for drinking water pipelines.
• Coatings for the internal walls of gas pipelines to protect against corrosion and extend their service life.
• Protection of the external walls of pipelines from the negative effects of corrosion processes and maximum waterproofing.

Here are a few more facts about polyurea you need to know:

• Mechanical strength.
• Flexibility.
• Wear and abrasion resistance.
• High temperature tolerance.
• Resistance to aggressive environments and chemicals.
• UV resistance.
• Long service life.
• Short application time.
• Completely safe for human life and health.
• Fire resistance.

Polyurea surface protection was developed relatively recently, and the price of this material is slightly higher than that of similar waterproofing materials. However, given its significantly longer service life (up to 30 years!) and the applications where other waterproofing materials are unacceptable, the economic benefits are quite significant.