If you use pipelines to transport liquid materials, waste products, or the like, keep corrosion first and foremost in your mind. Depending on the substance pipes transport, their corrosion can lead to leaks, and leaks can lead to lost revenue, environmental hazards, injuries, and even deaths. Protect your pipes from the effects of corrosion, and they’ll continue to deliver safe and efficient service. Here are four ways to prevent industrial pipe corrosion.
Use Oil
Oil is an amazingly useful substance. Applying the proper kind of oil, grease, or other lubricants to your pipeline can extend its life. Oil and water, as most everyone knows, don’t mix. An oil or grease coating helps repel moisture, thereby preventing oxidation, erosion, and other processes that attack pipes. Oil and grease don’t just help metal pipes. They can also protect rubber and plastic pipes. And as long as it doesn’t react negatively with whatever is in transport, lubrication can work inside and outside pipes to prevent buildup and internal corrosion.
Don’t Mix Metals
We can expect too much from metal. In most cases, it’s the toughest material around, capable of resisting damage and protecting contents with its durability and strength. But sometimes too much of a good thing isn’t so good. Galvanic corrosion is an electrochemical process occurring when dissimilar metals make contact, causing one to corrode. Don’t mix your metals, and use insulation materials to protect different parts of a pipeline from each other.
Reduce Stress
Stress corrosion happens to pipelines for multiple reasons. The first kind is tensile stress, basically meaning that the pipeline is under physical strain. It may be stretched too far or under excessive weight and pressure. The surrounding environment can also put extra stress on a pipeline through soil acidity, bad weather, or temperature changes. Finally, while the pipeline material may resist corrosion overall, there’s always a potential for weak spots. Subject your pipeline to regular inspections to avoid stress effects!
Apply a Coating
The best way to protect your pipes from damage is to separate them from their contents and the surrounding environment with a protective coating. Oil and grease are good short- to medium-term solutions, but coating your pipes’ exteriors and interiors with a defensive barrier is a longer-lasting solution. Myriad coatings are available, from a simple coat of paint to more thorough methods involving dry powders and vacuum coating machines. Coating helps prevent all the above while improving your pipeline’s efficiency.
Those are just four ways to prevent industrial pipe corrosion. Want to hear more about safeguarding your pipeline against corrosion and other ill effects? Contact us for information about our many products and services.