Characterization of high performance composite coating for the northern pipeline application

High performance composite coating (HPCC) provides a potential, excellent coating alternative for integrity maintenance of pipelines in the northern area. In this work, the physical, chemical and mechanical properties of HPCC were investigated to determine the microstructure, water permeability, cathodic disbondment resistance, electrochemical impedance, adhesion and impact resistance of the coating. It is shown that the addition of polyethylene layer significantly improves the compactness of the coating and enhances its resistance to water and chemical penetration, resulting in a small water vapor transmission rate and permeance. There is a quite small cathodic disbondment of HPCC under the standard test. The impedance characteristic measured on HPCC-coated steel shows a capillary behavior, indicating an effective protection over the underlying steel from corrosion. The adhesion of HPCC to the substrate ranks top one according to both ASTM and CSA standards. The impact energy of HPCC is 9.7 J at 22 °C, and about 10.2 J around 0 °C.