Painting pipe to reduce corrosion 1

[MECE02]

Has anyone else faced the challenge of getting pipe painted when noone wants to put $ in the budget?

First of all - does paint really matter on process piping?

Have there ever been any catastrophic incidents caused by corrosion due to a lack of painting/surface protection of the pipe? I have not come across any nor heard of any through the Chemical Safety Board.

 

[pennpiper]

Where is this plant?

Is it in a corrosive atmosphere?

If so, What is that corrosive atmosphere?

 

[ash9144]

Painting absolutely matters on carbon steel pipe and vessels. CUI is one of the biggest problems in the chemical industry. The reason is exactly what you state "no one wants to put $ in the budget". The facility I am at just spent several hundred thousand dollars repairing CUI due to no painting. There are several tanks that are requiring major repair work due to CUI.

Another facility I was at had about 50' of benzene piping fall out of an elevated rack.

 

[ApC2Kp]

MECE02,

Consider the cost of stainless steel piping, if the owner does not want to paint the pipe. He may then include some budget for coating /maintaining the paint on the pipe and the structure.

Some steel vent stacks have been justified to be installed in stainless steel instead of carbon steel. The cost of painting work at elevated heights resulted in a definite payback of the added cost for stainless steel.

 

[SJones]

There are two prongs to the answer:

1. Mechanical integrity risk
2. Aesthetics

With 1, try finding some atmospheric corrosion rates for the location and then bring in some pollutant, time of wetness and temperature factors and see what the implications are for metal loss over the design life. Analysis of inspection data will also help you build a picture.

2 is probably the most important. Who wants to take pride and put a good day's work in at a plant that looks a total rust bucket?

Steve Jones
Materials & Corrosion Engineer

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/8/83b/b04

 

[JLSeagull]

When you get the budget consider a few other issues. Consider painting line numbers at battery limits and other locations where the line ID may be needed. Consider color coding flanges, stripes every 25 meters or the entire line color based upon the fluid. Standardize utilities. Coordinate with other plants of the same owner. Perhaps nitrogen, steam etc. could be made the same color throughout the organization.

 

[moltenmetal]

Considering some of the paint specs that I've seen from some of the major companies out there, stainless IS less expensive for anything less than about 6" linesize!

 

[rconner]

[That’s assuming of course that you won't have corrosion or aesthetic problems with the “stainless” or its welds, or for that matter supporting, working with, around, or attaching to etc. the sometimes promoted thinner walled stainless pipe (everyone have a good weekend).] ;>)

 

[MECE02]

Thanks for all the responses!

What is CUI?

Pennpiper: The atmosphere is generally non-corrosive - it's just outside.

Ash9144 : Was the pipe being used when the 50' fell out of the rack?

 

[ash9144]

CUI is corrosion under insulation

The benzene line had started leaking. We had just shut down the transfer to check it. When first piece of insulation was removed, it brought the 50' of pipe with it.

 

[MECE02]

Wow, that was fortunate that noone got hurt from the benzene line.